The Paris City Council on Wednesday adopted the highly anticipated Plan local d’urbanisme (PLU), a far-reaching urban development strategy designed to shape the French capital’s growth over the next decade and beyond.
After four years of intense debate and more than 50,000 public proposals, the plan received overwhelming support from the council, marking a significant step toward addressing Paris’s housing shortages, climate change challenges, and urban revitalization needs.
A Bold Vision for the Future
At the heart of the PLU are four main pillars: combating climate change, expanding public housing, supporting local businesses, and preserving Paris’s iconic architectural heritage.
Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a staunch advocate of environmental sustainability and social equity, emphasized the importance of this plan for future generations.
“The challenge is to ensure that Paris remains the city we want to live in for generations to come,” Hidalgo said, as she received a warm round of applause from her majority following the vote.
Aligning with Paris’s broader climate action goals for 2024-2030, the PLU seeks to contribute to the city’s ambitious target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
With a focus on building resilience against climate change, the plan’s extensive measures are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling the pressing social inequalities that have long plagued the city.
One of the most pressing concerns the PLU aims to address is Paris’s ongoing demographic shift. Despite being Europe’s most densely populated capital, Paris has been experiencing a steady decline in population over the past decade.
A 2023 study published in The Lancet Planetary Health revealed that the city also holds the highest risk of heatwave-related deaths among European capitals, further underscoring the urgency of creating more sustainable, liveable urban spaces.
Expanding Green Spaces
A central feature of the plan is the creation of 300 hectares of new public green spaces. Currently, Paris offers just 8.6 square metres of green space per resident, falling short of the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 10 square metres per person.
With urban green spaces proven to improve mental and physical health, reduce heat island effects, and foster biodiversity, this initiative aims to enhance the quality of life for Parisians while bolstering the city’s climate resilience.
David Alphand, a councilor from the right-wing Les Républicains party, expressed skepticism about the ambitious green space goal, quipping that the proposal seemed “almost laughable.” He raised concerns about the feasibility of finding the equivalent of 420 football pitches within the confines of Paris.
Charles-Antoine Depardon, a key architect of the plan and advisor to Deputy Mayor Lamia El Aaraje, acknowledged the scale of the challenge but remained optimistic.
“300 hectares is ambitious, but we’ve already planned 50 hectares in projects at the city gates, with another 100 hectares in public spaces, including streets converted into gardens and schoolyards,” Depardon explained.
He also highlighted ongoing efforts to transform the quays along the Seine into a park-like environment, creating more accessible public spaces along one of the city’s most iconic riverfronts.
In addition to these new green spaces, the plan seeks to unlock currently inaccessible green areas, such as large gardens owned by religious institutions.
Depardon pointed to the Val-de-Grâce park in the 5th arrondissement, an immense green space that has long been closed to the public but is set to reopen as part of the new urban strategy.
Shifting Housing Priorities
With Paris facing an acute housing crisis, the PLU outlines ambitious goals for expanding the city’s public housing stock. By 2035, the city aims to ensure that 40 percent of its housing is public, with 30 percent allocated to social housing.
In an effort to address the stark housing disparity between the eastern and western districts of the city, the plan mandates that developers in “hyper-deficit zones” must allocate 50 percent of new construction projects to social housing.
In a bid to make better use of Paris’s limited space, the PLU also introduces new regulations that prioritize residential buildings over office developments.
In central and western Paris, the construction of office-only buildings will be banned, and any new projects exceeding 5,000 square metres will be required to include at least 10 percent housing.
“This is what we call functional diversity,” Depardon explained. “Now, any office renovation in Paris will need to include a housing component.”
The shift towards mixed-use developments is intended to make the city more inclusive, with greater emphasis on affordable housing for residents of all income levels.
However, the plan has faced opposition from some sectors of the real estate community, particularly from the right-wing opposition.
Jean-Baptiste Olivier, a councilor and vice-chairman of the right-wing Changer Paris group, criticized the policy, claiming it could hamper real estate development, raise property prices, and discourage private investment.
“This is an attack on private property,” he warned, suggesting that it could negatively impact property values and hinder renovations in the city.
Cracking Down on Airbnb and Short-Term Rentals
To further ease the housing crisis, the PLU introduces stricter regulations on short-term rentals, such as those listed on platforms like Airbnb.
Depardon explained that many primary residences in Paris have been converted into second homes or tourist rentals, exacerbating the housing shortage.
The new regulations will limit the proliferation of short-term rentals in key districts, including the 1st to 11th arrondissements and Montmartre, by banning new furnished tourist accommodations starting in 2025.
Public housing, which cannot be rented out for short-term stays, will take priority in the new developments, further limiting the impact of platforms like Airbnb on the housing market.
This move is in line with efforts to make Paris a more affordable and accessible city for both its residents and visitors.
“Not only is housing scarcer, but it’s also being misused,” Depardon said. He pointed to international models such as Vienna, where nearly 60 percent of the housing stock is public. “Vienna is a city consistently ranked among the best places to live because housing is not an issue there.”
A Long-Term Vision
While the PLU’s full impact will take years to fully materialize, the plan is seen as a critical step toward addressing Paris’s most pressing urban challenges.
With climate change, housing shortages, and gentrification threatening the city’s social fabric, the plan provides a comprehensive framework for building a more sustainable and equitable Paris.
“We want to enable transformation with ambitious yet realistic rules,” Depardon concluded. “This plan is a major step forward, and we’re eager to see its results unfold over the next two decades.”
As the city moves forward with its ambitious urban development plan, the eyes of the world will be on Paris as it navigates the complexities of growth, climate resilience, and social inclusion in the 21st century.
