Eurocities speaks with Christophe Najdovski, Paris Deputy Mayor for public space greening, parks, biodiversity and animal welfare, about the city’s recent vote to close 500 streets to cars and reallocate them to pedestrians, cyclists and green space.
Parisians vote for a greener city
Parisians voted 66% in favour of creating 500 more car-free streets and removing 10% of the city’s current parking spaces. In consultation with local residents this spring, five to eight streets in each neighbourhood will be chosen for transformation with a dedicated budget of €500,000 per street.
The plan expands on a green push led by the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo. Since 2020, Paris has already seen 300 streets planted and cleared of cars primarily around schools.
“For decades, cities were redesigned to accommodate cars,” says Christophe Najdovski. “Cars have dominated public space, leaving little room for the most vulnerable road users like children and the elderly. Now, there is a strong public demand to share public space more equitably.”
Najdovski is committed to reimagining public space as more than a transit corridor. He is driven by a vision of public space as a place where citizens can thrive and connect. “Over the years, children have disappeared from the streets,” he notes. “They were pushed out by dangerous traffic. It raises an important question: what place do we, as a society and as decision makers, give to children in our cities?”
Cars have dominated public space... Now, there is a strong public demand to share public space more equitably.
With the average car growing in size, children are even more vulnerable, often invisible behind high bumpers. Paris is taking their safety seriously, particularly near schools. The city is systematically introducing school streets: car-free areas outside schools where roads are closed to vehicles to create safer, more welcoming environments for families.
“This is also about giving power back to citizens,” adds Najdovski. “Our vision is that streets are more than a way to get from point A to point B in the fastest way possible.” Instead, he sees the school run as an opportunity to foster stronger communities. “When we speak to parents, many say they’ve started walking their children to school not out of necessity but for the simple pleasure of it.”
Growing a ‘garden city’
As the impacts of climate change intensify, Najdovski underscores the urgent need to boost urban resilience and how nature-based solutions are central to this transformation.
“There is both a will and a need to build a more resilient city. We must adapt to the consequences of climate change, and we know that greening the city is one of the main responses to that need.”
Paris is putting this into practice by removing concrete to allow rainwater to replenish groundwater, creating green spaces that support biodiversity and filter air pollution, and tackling the urban heat island effect to keep neighbourhoods cooler during summer. Largely driven by the city’s shift away from car-centric planning, the city has seen a 40% reduction in air pollution over the past decade. Biodiversity is thriving too, with over 600 new species (among a total 3400 recorded) recently recorded in the city compared to a few years ago.
This vision is part of the city’s broader strategy for climate resilience, biodiversity and liveability. “We’re working towards a garden city,” says Najdovski—“a city where nature is present even in unexpected places. Not just confined to parks and gardens, but integrated throughout the streetscape.”
There is both a will and a need to build a more resilient city.
Local decisions made by locals
While this is the most recent, it is far from the only referendum Paris has held on the future of public space. The strategy reflects Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s commitment to involving citizens in decisions that shape their daily lives.
“There is a real social demand for more participation,” says Najdovski. “Whatever people may say, these votes are not insignificant.”
Paris has already seen several high-profile examples of this participatory approach. In 2023, over 100,000 people voted in a referendum on the city’s shared e-scooter services. Nearly 90% voted against renewing the contracts with private operators, leading to the removal of 15,000 free-floating scooters from city streets.
More recently, another 80,000 residents voted in favour of tripling parking taxes on “heavy, bulky and polluting” vehicles, primarily SUVs. The measure passed with 54% support.
Understanding low voter turnout
The most recent referendum saw just 4% of the population (around 56,000 people) go to the polls. While media and online speculation offer various explanations, Najdovski has his own perspective.
“One reason could be that many people in favour assumed the outcome was certain,” he suggests. “There may have been a kind of silent consensus.”
He also points to the practical challenges of organising local votes: “There are always issues like capacity, timing, communication. Not everyone hears about the vote in time, and some people struggle to get to polling stations.” While electronic voting might improve accessibility, he notes that it presents its own set of complications.
Broader political dynamics also play a role. When there are global crises like wars, inflation, social unrest, local issues can tend to take a backseat in the minds of voters.
Still, he urges perspective on the criticism. “Some of the politicians challenging the low turnout were themselves elected with less than 10% of eligible voters. Yes, 4% is low, but we must recognise that turnout is often low in local elections too. That doesn’t mean citizens don’t care about these issues. It means we need to improve how we engage them.”
Citizens want to be more involved in the decisions that affect their neighbourhoods and quality of life.
“Hear the resistance and adapt”
Although the referendum passed with a strong 66% majority, concerns have emerged particularly from tradespeople and local residents who feel the changes could complicate daily life. The loudest opposition has come from the 18th arrondissement, yet, as Najdovski points out, that very neighbourhood voted in favour at 73%, well above the city-wide average.
Much of the resistance has been voiced by business owners worried about the potential impact on footfall and trade. However, research consistently shows that most customers do not travel to these shops by car and that pedestrianisation typically boosts business.
“These voices are a minority,” says Najdovski, “but we still need to hear them. You must listen to the concerns, adapt the project where needed, but at the same time, you have to listen to the majority. And the majority has spoken clearly in favour.”
Paris shows what’s possible
The Paris of today looks dramatically different from twenty years ago. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” says Najdovski. “What’s been done in Paris can be done in any city. Ten years ago, Paris wasn’t bike-friendly. Now, it is. It wasn’t a green city. Now, it is.”
He stresses that reclaiming space from cars doesn’t have to be slow. When there is strong social demand and political will, transformation can happen quickly. “We were elected for this. It’s what we promised, and now we’re delivering. It’s that simple.”
What we’ve done here, other cities can do too. You can manage big transformations if you do it with the citizens, and if you have the political will.
Over the past two decades, Paris has cut traffic and air pollution by half. In newly pedestrianised streets near schools, air pollution dropped by 25%, according to a recent survey. “That means cleaner air, less noise, and a better quality of life,” says Najdovski. “And it’s good for local shops too.”
His message is clear: these changes aren’t unique to Paris. “What we’ve done here, other cities can do too. You can manage big transformations if you do it with the citizens, and if you have the political will.”
