PARIS: Paris faces the test this week of launching the Olympic Games safely and affordably at a time of war, political polarisation and social unrest. It’s not a done deal. Heavy-handed security barriers and COVID-style QR codes are already infuriating residents and tourists trying to navigate a River Seine that’s been cleaned at great expense.
Yet the real challenge will begin once the athletes have packed up and gone home. The world’s greatest city (okay, top Five) must complete its gold-medal transformation into something greater: A megalopolis that binds the hipsters, financiers and flaneurs of historic, densely populated Paris to the sprawling regional economy where many Olympic events will actually take place. INCLUSIVE CHANGE This would be a more inclusive kind of change from the one Paris has gone through recently.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s crusade to pedestrianise, modernise and de-motorise swathes of the city has seen road congestion fall and air quality improve but has also made her a divisive figure and irritated commuters who don't make up her core voter base. There’s certainly a thrill in strolling along the banks of the Seine or down car-free Rue de Rivoli - provided one can block out the roared insults from cyclists who seem to think traffic lights are just there for decoration. Yet there have also been missteps, like the embrace of electric scooters that ended up banned last year.
Gentrification and tourism have also made the city pricier and more exclus.