Paris, a "green city" among European metropolises

From April 1 to April 7, Paris hosted the week of sustainable development, or rather durable development as the French say, lending a slightly different connotation to the ecological spirit of many people in France. As always, the week emphasized energy efficiency and renewable energies.
 
Generated by the sun, wind, water or biomass, renewable energies account for little more than 10% of the energy consumed in the European Union. Since 2005, the European Sustainable Energy Week has encouraged their development and striven to show that each citizen can help reduce energy consumption. Citizens, companies and public administrations have thus been invited to envision solutions to cut down on Europe’s energy use.
 

 
Paris in particular is striving to become a ville verte, following the example of other northern European cities. The possibility of eliminating the so-called urban highways, the two roads running along the Seine connecting the western and eastern parts of the city, in the near future has been discussed. The riverfront would become a greener pedestrian area with recreational spaces. Everything in the heart of Paris stems from the success of operation Paris Respire.
 
In presenting the 2010 budget for the city of Paris, mayor Bertrand Delanoe stressed that one of the most important items was sustainable social development and the promotion of renewable energy. Delanoe expressed his desire to turn Paris into a true “eco-capital”.
This commitment to sustainable development has earned Paris second place among the European metropolises in the "green cities" classification. This is largely thanks to its Climate Plan, which calls for a 25% increase in clean energy use by 2020.
 
In the new LiveIN Paris video, we explored the most recent examples of sustainable architecture built in the city, which demonstrate the ability to transform the capital.
Marie-Hélène Contal, vice president of the Institut Français d’Architecture at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine of Paris explains how, especially in recent years, this new building trend has reached France as well.