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Anne Hidalgo: mayor of Paris
Paris illuminates the way ahead for cities: trust citizens and build more bike lanes
Action at the city level is the best scale when dealing with a crisis like this oneTHE COVID-19 crisis has shaken up our lives and there is still more to come.
For a city like Paris—a city open to the world, a city of culture and one whose
way of life revolves around meeting, dialogue and exchange—it is an
unprecedented change. This crisis has caused us to question how we live in
the city, how we travel, how we consume. It has made us think afresh about
our relationship with others and with the spaces we share.
The main responsibility of a mayor is to understand these disruptions. What do they
mean for the everyday life of the city’s population and how the city operates? Compared
with all other public policymakers, mayors are better placed to understand the reality of
their citizens’ lives. That’s why action at the city level is probably the best scale for
concrete measures against the consequences of a crisis like this. Preparing for the post-
covid world starts with handling today’s emergencies.