Trust your citizens and build more bike lanes
THE 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.
This crisis has reminded us that life is fragile. That realisation should lead us to do everything we can to preserve it. That means protecting our environment to keep everyone in good health; fighting pollution to ensure the air in our cities is clean; reaching out to the most vulnerable among us, because the epidemic has shown us how our destinies are intertwined; and letting citizens create and develop solutions for a future that allows everyone to live better. We need each other and the key is what we have in common.
What I have witnessed during these weeks will mark me for the rest of my life. I saw the energy, creativity and solidarity of thousands of citizens, who are the city’s lifeblood. We must not allow this energy to be lost. We must not let our creativity fade, nor let this solidarity disappear.
We must draw inspiration from the strength of all Parisians and as a city commit ourselves with the same determination. We must trust our citizens, provide them with the means to express themselves democratically, to create with us the city of tomorrow and set about building it with their own hands. Every time we put our faith in them, they come up with solid, local solutions.
We put our trust in restaurant owners to extend their terrace areas and they made the city more attractive and kept their neighbourhoods vibrant. We trusted Parisians by opening new cycle lanes, and with their bikes they are bringing this transformation to life. We must trust everyone around the world who loves Paris in order to bring the City of Light back to its true splendour. I am sure they will be up for the challenge.
The world in 2021 may not be quite the same as it was before, but it will be open to the future. In that world, culture will play a central role. The environment will be the driving force for the changes ahead. And solidarity between people and regions will be the foundation of this new ecological pact for the preservation of humanity.
By Anne Hidalgo: Mayor of Paris. The Economist
