The second in our series of articles on how the world’s big cities are managing things as lockdown is eased takes us to Paris. One early idea for efficient social distancing that also made it seem rather chic was Christophe Gernigon Studio’s suspended Plexiglas hoods (seen at the HAND restaurant). Now the city has taken to the streets. Quite literally.
That has already happened in Milan, where the local authorities are allowing occupancy of outdoor spaces at least until 30 September to help establishments respect the new rules as they resume activities. But many bar and restaurant owners are now asking that the provision be extended into the autumn and beyond. Tables and chairs are now occupying pavements, squares and car parks, speed limits have been reduced in some urban areas and others have been completely closed to traffic for the first time. But such pro-pedestrian measures could become a problem in the long run.
Paris has been moving in a more green direction for some time, and the city’s mayor Anne Hidalgo, who was re-elected in June with the support of the Green party, intends to continue to do so over the next six years. There are plans for more cycle lanes, free use of public transport for under-18s and the aim of becoming a “15-minute city”, rethinking urban mobility to create a situation in which residents find all the services they need – bars, restaurants, doctors and schools – within a 15-minute radius of their homes.
Following on from the huge success of Paris Plages, which will be happening again this summer, complete with bars, restaurants, classical music concerts and cinema, there are plans to plant trees to create “urban forests”, with the aim of greening half the city by 2030.

Perhaps the biggest success of the Paris summer is the promotion of urban agriculture, which was revived as home food deliveries flourished during lockdown. The Parisculteurs programme devised by mayor Hidalgo, builds on the 38 “espaces verts” that already existed in the city, with an output of 800 tons of fruit and vegetables a year. They include La Caverne, which has repurposed a disused underground car park as a place to grow mushrooms. And Ferme Urbaine – Europe’s biggest vegetable garden – opened in March on the terraces of Hall 6 of Paris Expo at Porte de Versailles. It needed to rapidly transform its business model: from a supplier to bars and restaurants (closed on account of Covid-19) it became a delivery service for residents of the 15th arrondissement… and was a resounding success. Here, Le Perchoir –with five addresses in the capital – opened one of its most interesting concept locales after the easing of lockdown: a bar and restaurant serving fruit, vegetables and herbs grown on site in hydroponic and aeroponic cultures.

The reopening has also seen the start-up of many new establishments, temporary or otherwise, since the beginning of June. Many have focused on combining street food of various origins (the Mediterranean, Africa and the Far East) with cocktails, a hugely popular choice for open-air eating and drinking.
Examples include EDO, a pop-up near the Palais de Tokyo, Le Perchoir Marais with Provençal cuisine and décor, and Haikara Summer with Japanese tapas by chef Sho Miyashita.

While there may be nothing new in the greening of rooftops, this summer the practice has been much more widespread, extending even into some of those most iconic parts of the city: Laho at the Gare de Lyon, the terrace of the Musée Guimet that has become an ice-cream parlour with a fabulous view of the Eiffel Tower, Créatures, a vegetarian restaurant on the terrace of Galeries Lafayette Paris-Haussmann, or the spectacular La City, 110 metres up in the air on the 35th floor of the Grande Arche at La Défense.

Many temporary establishments are run by well-known chefs, many of them women. Among them, Julie Basset at Laho, Alexia Duchêne at Wanderlust at Minou Sabahi at l’Entrepôt.

In other words: expect tomorrow’s Paris to be greener and more female.