Anne Hidalgo's plan is to transform Paris before the Olympic Games, and several projects have already been launched, notably on the Avenue des Champs Elysées. Now it's the turn of the capital's focal point, Place du Châtelet, to get a facelift. In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche on June 11, the Mayor of Paris outlined her plans for the area's redevelopment. Anne Hidalgo wants to "calm down the Place du Châtelet". To achieve this, the square's traffic circle will be abandoned in favor of a single lane reserved for buses, cabs, priority vehicles and bicycles, with larger spaces for pedestrians.
So, with fewer cars and more space for pedestrians, the square will be less congested and less polluted, she hopes. She also wants to make the square a place dedicated to the theater, with the Châtelet on one side and the new Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt on the other. The latter is the new name of the Théâtre de Ville, which will finally be completed in September after seven years of renovations. The inauguration is scheduled for the 9th.
