’We Heard Birds.’ Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on How Lockdown Offered a Glimpse at a Greener City

“Now that she has won re-election, she is thinking of new ways to transform the urban environment. One key concept is the “15-minute city,” crafted by one of Hidalgo’s consultants, Carlos Moreno, a professor of innovation at the Sorbonne University in Paris. The idea is to develop infrastructure enabling residents to access services like public transportation, stores and schools, all within a quarter-hour walk from home. ‘We’ve seen through the COVID pandemic that it’s possible to work differently, to create new hubs,’ Moreno says. ‘I am optimistic.’”

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