Paris Mayor to Re-Vamp Arrondissements
 

http://www.thelocal.fr/20160129/mayo...n-of-paris-map

eliminating 3 arrondissements by combining 1, 2, 3, and 4!

Arrondissements have always been flummoxing for many tourists but now arr # 1will be the heart of Paris.

When were they vamped?

The present mayor is making all sorts of unpopular changes...

Unpopular with whom? She is one of the most popular politicians in France and even more popular with Parisians.

These changes will unlikely be visible to tourists. With fewer and fewer residents in Paris due to a dwindling housing supply, these changes principally reflect the changing administrative needs of the city.

For example the total population of the first 4 arrondissements barely 100,000, but at the moment there are 4 separate city halls (besides the Hôtel de Ville). The 15th arrondissement has a population of almost 250,000 with just one city hall. Easy for taxpayers to do the math.

What are they going to call the new combined arrondissement?

We departed Paris on Oct 2 last year. On a Sunday. That day was declared "vehicle free day" throughout Paris. As of around 10:30 - cars, taxis, and buses were not allowed in Paris. We took a taxi to CDG around 7:00. I wonder how anyone arriving in to Paris from CDG that day, or departing Paris later than 10:00 "made it". I imagine the RERs were packed. Any feedback from you Paris residents??? Was this a "popular" move???

Stu Dudley

This is basically an administrative issue only and will not be of much concern at all to tourists.

If you read anything referencing PalenQ´s link to the story, read this:

<i>Hidalgo stressed that the change wouldn't affect the postcodes of the first four arrondissements, or indeed the other 16 in Paris.</i>

As far as tourists are concerned, the 20 arrondissements remain as they are.

Unpopular with whom?

Take a look at this news story, for instance: http://tinyurl.com/zdefh4m

A taste of the article:

A plan to replace Paris’s iconic green-domed newspaper kiosks with modernist “sardine can” mini-shops has sparked uproar, with more than 30,000 people signing a petition to save the ornate originals.

Heritage groups and architectural experts have reacted with fury to a move by the mayor, Anne Hidalgo, to do away with the historic design, a fixture on the streets of the French capital since the 1860s.

Hundreds have accused of her online of architectural vandalism, with some even claiming she was trying to make Paris as “ugly as London” ...

I got the date wrong - the day we departed was Sept 25.

Stu Dudley

Perhaps those who live in Paris and deal with the day to day, converse with other Parisians, read French news, watch French TV and listen to French radio are better judges of the mayor's popularity than visitors who gain their information from non-French sources that often present a skewed vision of Paris goings on.

What are they going to call the new combined arrondissement?>

Like said above I guess 2, 3 and 4 will just disappear and you'll go from 1 to 5, etc.?

I think this particular change is a good one for all purposes and should have no impact on tourists except to make searching on the internet for lodging and dining easier.

<i>Take a look at this news story, for instance</i>

Ha ha, that is so typical of the Francophobic Guardian. They might as well just copy articles from the Sun. :-)
No more than about 5% of Parisians even know that the kiosks are going to be modernized and probably only 1% of them care. It is perfectly true that the final design has not yet been decided, so this is the usual tempest in a (tiny tiny) teapot. The "iconic" old kiosks were designed in the 1980's -- they are just fiberglas pastiches of the ancient ones, and there is nothing authentic about them. And there are not that many of them anyway -- most of the kiosks in Paris are already boring rectangles or the even more horrifying 1990's design of glass and chrome triangles. (Just do a Google image search.) And nobody cared back then either. People who don't use the kiosks don't care (that would be at least 80% of the population), and the real users care much more about what is available in a kiosk than its design. In any case, in all of the "fancy" parts of Paris, the kiosks will always be fancy (Champs Elysées, Grands boulevards...).

How much sleep have you lost over this, travelhorizons?

<i>What are they going to call the new combined arrondissement?</i>

I don't think there will be any change of name at all. People will continue to refer to the old numbers depending on the area concerned, just like people say "Latin Quarter" or "Montmartre" or "Montparnasse" which are places that do not exist administratively and which cover more than one arrondissement.

Administratively, I think that the term will almost certainly be "Paris Centre" for going to whichever city hall remains in service, or tax office or whatever.

If anybody wants to know the back story about this invented "outrage," it is simply because Paris has become a left wing city, but just barely. Of the 4 central arrondissements, the 1st arrondissement is still run by a right wing party, the 2nd arrondissement by the (left wing) Green party, and the 3rd and 4th by the Socialist party. So the right wing has been screaming that it is all a Socialist plot to take over the 1st arrondissement. (population 17,000) It's as simple as that.

I have not personally lost sleep over this. However, I spent a few hours with a Paris resident and tour guide during my last trip to Paris, and he was quite vocal about the mayor and her "modernizing" without regard to tradition.

Another example of this "modernization without regard to tradition. She has precipitously raised the "rent" on the green wooden boxes of the "bookinistes" along the Seine, thus putting most of them out of business and taking away another colorful Parisian tradition.

Really don't appreciate the snark... I was passing along a point-of-view from a Parisian who had discussed this with me at great length.

Newspapers are dinosaurs - what will the kiosks sell?

Do they still have poles for horses to be tied up to? Or horse liveries?

Glad to see Paris is not a museum town - who complained when those once state-of-the-art fancy self-cleaning Toilettes were installed all over town- are they now architecturally protected because they have been there so long now?

But at least with the toilettes there will always be a need for them and now that they are free I guess less male urine stinking up the streets!

<i>Really don't appreciate the snark... I was passing along a point-of-view from a Parisian who had discussed this with me at great length.</i>

And you are basing your statements on a grand total of ONE Parisian? I think snark is absolutely in order. Not to mention the fact the "most" bouquinistes have not at all gone out of business except for maybe the ones who were selling "love locks."

<i>what will the kiosks sell?</i>

The principal innovation of the new kiosks is a refrigerator for selling cold beverages.

This is true - kiosquiers are falling by the wayside, because people buy subscriptions for home delivery or upload media on smartphones or computers.
The kiosquiers are forced by the management to sell drinks, souvenirs and candy to help keep them in business.

I helped my local kiosquier for an hour, while he had an emergency. I sold a total of about 3 EU's worth of stuff. The kiosks are miserable places to work in their current condition. Most people who have to work here would welcome a lot more in the way of creature comforts.

The bouquinistes are finding it difficult to pass on what is, essentially, the family business. Most of them only work when the weather is nice and on weekends, when they can be assured of having the most business. The newcomers selling souvenirs aren't really bouquinistes.

Anyone who knows a resident Parisien(ne) realizes that we are all "raleurs" - we complain about absolutely everything all the time. It's the national sport, but nobody takes it seriously, because it's just an attempt to let off steam.

<i>Another example of this "modernization without regard to tradition". She has precipitously raised the "rent" on the green wooden boxes of the "bookinistes" along the Seine, thus putting most of them out of business and taking away another colorful Parisian tradition.</i>

I'm particularly curious about this point since no rent is charged for the boxes or locations. And every year the abandoned boxes (usually about 20 per year) get 5 times more applications than there are spaces available. (Attributions are accorded by a committee that includes other bouquinistes.)

The rules to follow are somewhat strict, but I do not think they are strictly enforced: must open 4 days a week except in inclement weather, six weeks authorized closure for holidays, etc. In case of sickness, certificates must be sent to the municipal authorities just like any employee has to do. Also only one box may be used to sell items other than books or posters: coins, medals, post cards, souvenirs...