The people speak

Several hundred residents of the 15th arrondissement braved the heat wave and filed into the 15th town hall for a public meeting called "The Grand Debate" on June 26.  The gathering's purpose was to give the people a chance to tell their local elected officials what they want for this beloved big arrondissement -- a district so large that it is a city in itself.

Le Pareloup, on the Rue Saint Charles.  The Rue Beaugrenelle is on the right.

The residents concerns are our concerns, it seems; we're bona fide part timers of the 15th.  Here's what's on our collective minds, according to the coverage of The Grand Debate.

Biodiversity is at the heart of many people's preoccupations.  The lack of vegetation is an issue, especially on the Place Cambronne  where more trees are wanted.

A public place for leaving waste for composting is needed.

To save energy, there should be less lighting at night.

The neighborhood around the Place Dupleix needs a place for public/cultural gatherings.

The proliferation of trottinettes (electric scooters for rent) and their "anarchic use" has become a major problem.

We the people are also bothered by cafés that take up too much of the sidewalk with their "terraces."

We all really like the pedestrianization of the Rue du Commerce one Saturday per month.  We think it should be expanded to become a weekly affair, every Saturday.

Too many sidewalks are torn up with construction and repairs.  Lots of improvements in the bike path system are needed.

We want to put an end to the parking lot concession under the elevated metro tracks on the Boulevard Garibaldi; instead, we want more vegetation planted there, including more trees.  Cars generally take up too much valuable space; they just sit there in their parking spots 95% of the time, being useless.

Lack of affordable housing is still an issue, and the management of certain mixed social and market-rate housing projects has not been good.

Last but not least, we want to put an end to the nuisances of the Lafarge concrete factory on the banks of the Seine. 

The Lafarge issue is going to be interesting to watch.  Just when the 15th arrondissement is making great headway in expanding all of its greenbelt projects, with the Lafarge facility very much in the way, the Lafarge people have decided that they want to expand operations at that site.  They have no plans for going away so that the greenbelt can be continuous.

But the people of the 15th love to walk on the Petit Ceinture, the banks of the Seine, and the many parks.  This stretch of the banks of the Seine is particularly notable, with the Eiffel Tower, the Pont Mirabeau (a listed historic monument), and the Park André Citroen. 

So the Paris city council and mayor have agreed that Lafarge's plans are subject to the review of the elected officials and the people of the 15th.  We shall see what happens!  My guess is that the big, powerful 15th will have its way, and Lafarge is going to have to move.

The Impasse de l'Eglise has that old village-y look.

For many years, we have thought that having large quantities of sand and gravel kept right there on the riverbank in the middle of the city was weird and inappropriate.  And we've resented having to go around it during weekdays when its gates were locked.

Less weird and much more appropriate was our pleasant evening stroll down the Rue du Théatre last night.  We stopped for a light dinner at Le Pareloup, which we liked very much but thought was a bit overpriced. 

We sat outdoors, at a table on the sidewalk on the picturesque Rue de Beaugrenelle side.   So nice.