The long awaited completion of the billion-euro project revamping the Forum des Halles, central Paris’ underground shopping hub, has been marred by detractors criticizing its aesthetic and construction faults. The current Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, was joined by former Mayor Bertrand Delanoë in the unveiling of the renovated Forum des Halles shopping complex on […]

Have you ever wondered why central Paris has so few skyscrapers? Compared with most major world cities – Hong Kong, New York or Dubai, for example – the City of Light has few high rise apartment buildings.

This is the third in our series of posts looking at major projects that are enhancing parts of Paris. Located on an historic site in the Marais neighborhood of the 3rd arrondissement (district), the covered marketplace le Carreau du Temple reopened in March 2014 following a major restoration.

This is the second in our series looking at major projects that are enhancing parts of Paris. Art lovers will be delighted that the Picasso Museum in Paris’s Marais neighborhood is to reopen to the public in June 2014. The art gallery has been closed for five years for a major renovation and restoration program. […]

This is the first in a series of posts looking at major projects that are enhancing parts of Paris and restoring others to their former glory.  The redevelopment of the former wholesale food market, les Halles de Paris, in the 1st arrondissement (district) continues apace. Part of the makeover includes an undulating glass canopy to […]

Things are heating up in Paris as we approach the municipal elections in March. As part of her pitch, Socialist Party candidate for Mayor Anne Hidalgo is supporting a proposal to transform Avenue Foch into a pedestrian zone.

President Hollande has made good on his promise to pull back on the dramatic increases in taxes imposed on property sales in France over the last two years.  In releasing the details of the new plan, Budget Minister Bernard Cazeneuve cited the “perverse effects of the current system,” specifically the significant decrease in the volume […]

The city of Paris and the Paris Region Lab have announced the selection of 30 projects that the city will fund under the Vegetation Innovations Initiative launched in March of this year. The Paris Region Lab is an association created by the city of Paris, whose mission is to promote creative and innovative public and private […]

Paris is presently at a crossroads that, if unchecked, will ripple through the city for years to come with detrimental effect, says Leonard Pitt.  High-rise projects are planned for the 13th, 15th and 17th arrondissements, as well as La Defense, and he is committed to stopping this from happening.

Mayor Delanoë continues to press his position that rentals of under one year (9 months to students) are unlawful unless the apartment in question has “commercial”, rather than “residential”, status. Like minds disagree as to whether this position is correct and sustainable in the courts, but either way there are some things that can be […]