A series of photographs which i took recently on the banks of the Seine in Paris which shows the city's efforts to pedestrianise the roadways along the river - excellent examples of children's play, floating & edible gardens, green interventions, flexible seating, temporary sport and recreational spaces, outdoor art galleries and just wonderful beautification. Also included is an article which gives background on this urban design initiative.

1. Beyond tourism:
the banks of the Seine become active
and inclusive, flexible and green
public space for all.
Beth Jackson, Director & Curator, Artfully
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

2. Although the banks of the Seine River in
Paris are a UNESCO World Heritage site,
the historical mark has not stopped the
city from creatively adapting its
embankments. In fact, the city has an
on‐going initiative called Les Berges to
enable its residents to “reclaim” the
river.
Les Berges, which includes the
pedestrianization of the roadways along
the Seine, aims to:
respond to a great ambition—to allow
residents of the metropolis and all those
who love Paris to reclaim the Seine and
the heart of the city.
[translated from official signage in Paris]
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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4. All of this is part of Mayor Bertrand
Delanoë’s greater plan to reduce car
traffic in Paris and increase “soft”
methods of transportation. Transit
options like the Velib bicycle share
program and the Autolib electric car
sharing form one pillar of the plan.
Pedestrianization of the banks of the
Seine and of Place de la République are
another more urban design aspect. New
programming and spot infrastructure aim
to bring people back to the river, while
activating sites with new functions.
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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6. In the mid‐18th century, the
embankments of the Seine were
constructed to facilitate river
traffic and navigation. By the late
18th century, the banks were
being utilized for recreation and
health. River access provided an
escape from the dense urban
fabric of Paris. In the early 19th
century, Napoleon began to
transform the banks from
pedestrian to industrial, building
quays to facilitate mercantile
exchange. By the mid‐20th
century, the banks of the Seine
were given to the automobile,
and memory of a pedestrianized
embankment mostly lost in
collective memory.
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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children’s art studio and gallery

8. The forgotten history of the
Seine was a linchpin argument
in a 2011 government report
on the Seine embankment
projects. These sentiments
were echoed by Mayor Delanoë
last month at the opening of
the new Place de la
République in Paris:
“My predecessors handed the
square over to the car. We
wanted to put beauty, the
values of the République, and
a joie de vivre at the heart of
this transformation.”
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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10. What makes Paris’
pedestrianization plans
unique, apart from its macro
strategy, is that there is a
requirement for flexibility to
make initiatives truly for the
people. Built interventions
must be capable of being
moved, extended if popular,
taken down quickly if
ineffective. This applies even
to large‐scale proposals like
stadium seating. Flexibility is
also useful for environmental
reasons: Paris is overdue for its
“100‐year flood,” the last
which crippled Paris in 1910.
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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12. Not surprisingly, Delanoë’s strategy hasn’t always been popular in political circles or in the conservative press.
For a city so strongly rooted in history, temporary installations pale in comparison to Paris’ architectural icons.
The pedestrianization of the Voie Georges‐Pompidou, the highway on the Left Bank of Paris was blocked by the
prior conservative government, who argued that closing off the main artery would increase traffic elsewhere.
Many studies, even a mathematical theorem called Braess Paradox, show otherwise. Thanks to a change in
government, the second section of the pedestrianized banks opened in Paris on June 19th (the first section
opened earlier this year).
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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15. Some portions of Les Berges will become part of the programming for this year’s Paris Plage, the
popular annual beach that takes over the banks of the Seine between July and August. Inaugurated
in 2002, Paris Plage was originally criticized as an excess of public expenditure. Now a beloved
tradition, the Plage has expanded to three different areas along the river. New additions this year
include mini‐golf, BMX biking (even for kids starting age 8), go‐kart racing and bowling.
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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18. A new series of floating barges
called “Archipel” opened next
to the Sewer Museum in late
June. The five barges are
planned in accordance with
the biodiversity map of Paris.
The semi‐aquatic vegetation
between the barges cleans the
banks of the Seine while the
landscaping offers different
opportunities for the public to
experience the space. Each
“island” barge has a different
theme with plants native to
Paris.
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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20. According to Les Berges:
For the lazy , the chairs of the island mists are
waiting for you
For the wild, find the open aviary bird island
For the romantic, walk in the tall grass prairie of
the island
For those seeking the country, sit in the shade of
an apple orchard on the island
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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22. The barges are also designed to
withstand flood levels higher
than those of the 1910 flood. On
other sections of Les Berges,
there are orchards, a “Zen”
platform for yoga and pilates,
outdoor sports and educational
activities.
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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24. This aluminum dinosaur
by Philippe Pasqua is actually a
private endeavor,
commissioned by the daughter
of the founder of the Bateaux‐
Mouches, the boat company
that operates tours along the
Seine. At 4 meters tall and 7
meters long, the sculpture is
intended ”to support and
promote contemporary art
along the river.” But we think
there’s definitely a marketing
motive too–it’s already
become a tourist attraction, as
visitors try to angle their
cameras to depict the T‐Rex
devouring the Eiffel Tower.
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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26. Photos by Artfully with the exception of slide 15 – Getty images
Text from Urban Interventions on the Seine: Paris Plage, Floating Barges and a Life Size T‐Rex by Michelle Young
[ Untapped Cities ‐ http://untappedcities.com/2013/07/09/urban‐interventions‐on‐the‐seine‐paris‐plage‐floating‐barges‐
and‐a‐life‐size‐t‐rex/ ]
PEDESTRIANISATION ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE. PARIS JULY 2013artfully

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