The Joy and Freedom of a City Without Car Traffic
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On Sunday, streets all over Paris belonged to people biking, walking, and riding transit.
Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Paris
What American Commuter Rail Can Learn From Paris, Part 2
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In Europe it's common for regional rail systems to get ridership comparable to that of the subway in the central city. But in America, this is unheard of. One reason for the discrepancy is land use: American commuter rail stations are typically surrounded by parking, while in the Paris region you see a different pattern with ample development next to suburban train stations.
What American Commuter Rail Can Learn From Paris
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In the U.S., regional rail is mostly good for one type of trip: the commute. But in Paris, regional rail is oriented toward all types of trips, and people ride throughout the day, not just at rush hour. One key to success is running frequent, predictable service all day long.
Talking Headways: How France Melds High-Speed Rail With Cities, Part 2
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Part two of our discussion of French high-speed rail and cities covers how France approaches infrastructure projects of national significance, the challenges of building the Grand Paris Express rail expansion, and the latent opportunities of San Jose's Diridon station.
Adieu, Cars: Paris Riverfront to Be Permanently Returned to the People
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After years of experimentation, the Paris City Council this week committed to the permanent conversion of two miles of the Georges Pompidou expressway along the River Seine into a waterfront park. The 1960s expressway carried two lanes of traffic and about 43,000 vehicles a day along the Right Bank of the river. But beginning in 2011, the highway […]
Paris to Return Its Great Public Squares to the People
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If you look at paintings from the pre-automotive era, Paris’s monumental public squares were full of people strolling comfortably. But over time, car traffic has consumed most of these squares. Now, under Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Paris is setting out to remake the city’s squares as great public gathering places. The city is currently in the midst of an initiative to […]