The public spaces in major capitals are facing complex issues due to new environmental policies and mass tourism. The overcrowding, which now extends from the city center to the outskirts, contributes to disrupting the fragile balance of local life and degrading public green spaces such as the Champ-de-Mars, as well as the squares that are scattered throughout the neighborhoods of Paris.
In this context, the City of Paris plans to remove the gates from several squares, strangely referred to in its documents as “identity fences”. A debate on this topic has been ongoing since October 4th at the Paris Council and continues in the relevant neighborhood councils.
However, these gates, with their elegant ironwork, serve as a protective enclosure that allows for the flourishing of plant life and biodiversity – because like humans, plants need periods of regeneration, especially during the night.
They also provide a space away from the hustle and dangers of traffic (including bicycles) for the numerous activities that take place in the squares: relaxation and rest, physical activities, and free play for children. These valuable oases are appreciated and used by all audiences, depending on the time of day and the season. It is also regrettable that caretakers, who used to ensure the well-being of the vegetation and users, are now absent.
The history, both ancient and recent, of Parisian gardens reveals that in general, unfenced squares have had to be refenced due to maintenance and safety issues: trampled lawns and flowerbeds, unauthorized occupations, stormy weather, etc.
The city’s project now threatens several sites. These include the square Jean-XXIII (formerly square de l’Archevêché) and the Ile-de-France square near Notre-Dame, on the eastern tip of the Île de la Cité. The massive success of the petition “Save the squares of Notre-Dame”, launched at the end of April and which has gathered over 53,000 signatures, has led to a beginning of dialogue between its initiator and the Minister of Culture’s office. The latter is reportedly discussing with the City. Another site is the square de la Tour-Saint-Jacques in the 4th arrondissement, which has already had the unfortunate experience of gate removal in 1968, only to have to put them back, taller and less elegant than the original ones, in the 1990s. There is talk of removing them once again. Lastly, in the 11th arrondissement, on the central median of the Richard-Lenoir and Jules-Ferry boulevards covering the Saint-Martin canal, there are four densely planted squares created in 1993 in place of open-air parking lots. These squares are now threatened by a comprehensive “redevelopment” project between Bastille and Stalingrad.
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