During the long Easter weekend, thousands of Parisian internet users lambasted the dirt and supposed ugliness of the capital by sharing “overwhelming” images under the hashtag #saccageparis.
@PanamePropre, the anonymous creator of the hash word that has gone viral on Twitter explained to the “Parisian” that he wanted to testify to the degradation of the capital in recent years.
And defended himself from acting for any political party.
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The author of #saccageparis wants to "continue to put pressure on the City"
But the right, in ambush, followed by the extreme right and the Republic in March, rushed into the breach, a way to seal the presidential ambitions of the mayor (PS) of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
The politicians have however confined the debate to the cleanliness, just like besides the response of the town hall of Paris.
But #saccageparis also criticizes the lack of maintenance in public space - rutted pavements or rickety road signs - and the “ugliness” of certain street furniture, such as the wooden benches that flourish in public spaces.
Wood, not the right solution?
“The City of Paris favors bio-based materials such as wood because it is greener than concrete.
These efforts are commendable, recognizes Khaled Khaled, Parisian architect and urban planner.
But these materials degrade quickly.
With inclement weather, the wooden benches turn black and swear in the cityscape.
The logs that replace the railings around the trees are often in poor condition.
Sustainable street furniture requires more maintenance, which the city does not always do.
Today, architecture and town planning must adapt to uses that are changing more and more quickly.
"
Internet users also consider that the coronapistes, the cycle paths arranged in emergency for the first deconfinement, delimited by cement plots, disfigure the landscape.
"These arrangements are a good thing, but their materialization in yellow is shocking because it is the color used when there is work", adds Khaled Khaled.
Zahra Mechergui, architect-urban planner, regrets for his part that “the regulations are not always applied, in particular concerning facades and commercial signs, which can cause an impression of disorder.
In addition, comfort has sometimes been favored over aesthetics.
"
Parterres and ephemeral terraces in the viewfinder
If he considers the redevelopment of the great Parisian squares to be successful, in particular that of the Nation which now houses a large garden, the pedestrianized banks or even the cycle paths in its heart, Henri Bava, president of the French Landscape Federation, regrets “The lack of executives.
The logs installed at the feet of the trees are, in places, rotten and the beds which were supposed to be cultivated by the inhabitants are abandoned.
It's great to give Parisians the opportunity to garden.
They are asking.
But some are withdrawing and it would be necessary to call on landscape mediators to work with the inhabitants ”.
Paris, rue Ordener (18th century).
Certain developments at the foot of the trees have been completely abandoned. / LP / Cécile Beaulieu
“It's the same with the ephemeral terraces of coffee shops,” continues Henri Bava.
After having enchanted the public space, they deteriorated during the winter ”.
And the landscaper at the head of the Ter agency concluded: "The City, which has been very active in recent years, must learn from experiments, rule out what does not work and better regulate".
"Aesthetics are subjective," tempers Marc Aurel, an urban designer who also created the new bus shelters which were controversial at the time and now accepted.
On the new kiosks, for example, some Parisians said they regret the historic ones that actually dated back to 1990. The first ones were in fact in the form of an augmented Morris column.
In general, people don't like change.
But the aesthetic debate is not limited to
I like
or
I don't like
.
"
Ask the opinion of Parisians
"The City should seize the fed up expressed by Parisians this weekend to provide answers", suggests another architect, who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of seeing his candidacy rejected from the competition. architecture launched by the town hall.
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"Rather than taking the measure of the problems and offering a wide consultation on the Parisian aesthetic to nip the debate in the bud, Emmanuel Grégoire (PS), the first deputy of Anne Hidalgo suggested looking at the sky rather than rubbish on the ground and denounced political manipulation.
It's a funny defense, ”the creator of the hash word #saccageparis is surprised.
The hashtag of this anonymous Parisian will still have, according to his calculations, combined 112,000 tweets and retweets and more than 5,000 Internet users.
“I wanted to bring the debate to the public.
My goal is more than achieved.
It is a fundamental movement ", welcomes the fifty-year-old who has decided to" withdraw on tiptoe ".
"I do not seek, he assures us, to derive any media or political benefit or notoriety from this affair.
"
