 | "One of the fundamental ideas behind Paris Plage is social equity" 05-08-2008 City beaches are nothing new. In many places around Europe, people can enjoy
these attractive urban hide-outs over the summer and pretend they are on some
tropical location instead of at home. However, no city beach resembles that of
Paris: not in scope and not in ideology. “The main idea behind Paris Plage is
the notion of the reversibility of public space,” Jean-Christophe Choblet,
creator of the famous Paris beach states. “It creates a ‘feeling’, a sense of
rupture with the space of the city and its rhythm.” The first ‘Paris Plage’ was
created in 2002. Ever since the first edition, the project has been supported by
a strong ideological basis. “One of the fundamental ideas behind the project was
social equity. The project had to be public instead of private.” Up until today
everything on Paris Plage, including its many activities and facilities is still
free of charge. This year, the major summer event has even expanded beyond its
traditional city centre location on the river Seine and stretched out to the
19th arrondissement. An area which has recently felt the influence of a
municipal rehabilitation scheme attempting to solve problems relating to the
area’s socially marginalised population. With all its underlying notions and
beliefs, Paris Plage remains a unique project in Europe.
What was the main idea behind Paris Plage? What effects did you
want to create?
The main idea behind 'Paris Plage' is the notion of the reversibility of
public space. Paris Plage is the first project of this size which puts into
practice this notion. After all, for one month, a busy road in the centre of
Paris is transformed into a pedestrian area.
Rather than creating effects, I think it is important that Paris Plage
creates a 'feeling': a sense of rupture with the space of the city and its
temporality, rhythm and density. The design of Paris Plage has literally
realised the antagonism of the two words: 'Paris' and 'Beach'. This is what we
have called 'the urban escape’. To create this ‘feeling’ the design of Paris
Plage relates to a collective memory of the beach, its colours and its symbols,
such as a parasol against the sun, a cabin for bathers, palm trees for the
promenade and the colours ‘white and blue’ for the beach.
Was Paris Plage a difficult idea to realise? Was it easy to get
the support from the municipality/sponsors etc? Has there been any
opposition?
Paris Plage was commissioned by the Mayor of Paris. The political objectives
were therefore clearly visible: to stop car traffic for a month, to create a
special place for less wealthy inhabitants who cannot afford to go on holiday
and to unite the different municipal departments in one project. The City of
Paris made all the means available to realise these political ambitions. The
main challenge in this respect was not to mobilise financial resources. After
all, 70% of the project is funded by private sponsors, who provide their own
skills and objectives. No, it was difficult to bring together the twelve
departments of the City for a temporary project.
There has also been opposition against the plans, which came from two
different sides at two different stages of the project. In the first year of Par
is Plage, the car lobby was the most virulent. Nonetheless, the success of the
project stopped this controversy.
After that, we had to deal with criticism from urbanists, planners and architects who feared a certain ‘Disneyfication’ of the city. In 2002, public space was not a major issue, but because of Paris Plage it has become an important topic. The project opened the debate about creating public space in a city like Paris, where there is not much space to create new public spaces and where the means for creating such spaces are often lacking. Today, the urbanists and architects are becoming more interested in one of the founding notions of Paris Plage in particular, namely the notion of usage. For me, the city is an accumulation of different forms of usage. Good management of a city’s usage can create public space. What have been the effects of the beach on the city of Paris and
its inhabitants? Has Paris Plage met your expectations?
One of the fundamental ideas behind Paris Plage was social equity. We
realised this idea by creating more than twenty different free and high quality
activities on Paris Plage that are accessible to everyone. One of my major
battles was to minimise the amount of commercial establishments along the beach.
Now there are only 7, which are spread over 3 kilometres. This limitation should
encourage families with lower incomes to settle down on the beach. The choice of
activities (from jeu de boules to reading) also allows for a social mix. In the
end, the design of the beach has managed to create places for people to withdraw
without generating ruptures in the route. This prevented Paris Plage from being
appropriated by one single social category.
When it comes to tourism, the project has become known on a global level.
Paris Plage has also turned into a showcase of Paris and its politics. It has
become part of the city’s heritage, and we do not forget that it offers tourists
an exceptional perspective of the centre of Paris. Paris Plage forms a special
‘rendez-vous’ with the city.
At the economic level, the beach creates dynamics and a flow of people that
did not exist before in the 4th arrondissement. But the effects are most
significant in the ‘Bassin de la Villette’ (an area around a canal, located in
the 19th arrondissement in Paris, ed.), where a beach has now been installed for
the second time. Economically this was a more difficult location.
So this summer Paris Plage is even bigger, stretching out beyond
the centre. What was the main driving force behind this expansion?
The ‘Bassin de la Villette’ can be described as an enclave of socially marginalised residents. Since a couple of years, there has been a rehabilitation programme for the area which pushed residents to move elsewhere. However, this programme has not created a real use of the area. Paris Plage brings back the usage of the neighbourhood, and in a very short time, it provides the possibility for the residents to reappropriate public space. Moreover, because the project reflects the original Paris Plage on the George Pompidou Lane, the ‘Bassin de la Villette’ area has been able to symbolically reconnect itself to the city centre. There are many cities in Europe that also have city beaches now. Have you
assisted other cities in developing their own beaches? What do you think of
other beaches in European cities? Do they have the same impact as Paris Plage?
Many cities have copied the idea of Paris Plage without the conceptual basis
that supports it. The projects are often private and not public, and far from an
idea of social equity and being free of charge. I have never been asked, and I
have never wanted to participate in such projects which privatise public space.
You are an urban scenographer. For many this will be a rather
unknown concept. Can you explain? What can urban scenography contribute to the
development of the city?
On the basis of the experience of 2002, when Paris Plage was first installed, I developed the concept of urban design and the use of the temporary for the Urban. Scenography generates usage; it creates it and it strengthens it. At the same time it creates public space, and thus urbanity. In addition, temporary usage allows for great flexibility without leaving a lasting impact on a certain space. It allows you to follow the evolution of the usage of a certain space. I get more and more orders from decision makers asking me to reflect on the prefigurations of space that would allow a certain reversibility of the use of these spaces. I really think that the future of the city lies in the sequential planning of public spaces in time. Contact Jean-Christophe Choblet:
jcchoblet@free.fr
LinksClick here for more information about urban beaches (in French)Click here for more information about Choblet's work (in French) back |
