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Old Paris Is No More

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Re: Old Paris Is No More

#101

Post by notJim »

tom_mellior wrote: post #100
mijamo wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where else have you rented? Paris is a bit expensive but apart from that the rental market works fine. I wouldn't say the same of Stockholm, Dublin or San Francisco

> Where else have you rented? I didn't come here for a who-is-more-cosmopolitan dick-waving contest. But if you did, do feel free to entertain us with your personal horror stories from Stockholm, Dublin, and San Francisco. > Paris is a bit expensive but apart from that the rental market works fine. Landlords require you to bring a CV and a work contract and proof of income, which must be 3x the rent, otherwise you mu…

Other than the receipt thing, this sounds the same as anywhere I've rented… I agree it's a shitty system all around, but I don't think any of it is unique to Paris.

Re: Old Paris Is No More

#102

Post by AdrianB1 »

masklinn wrote: post #13
AdrianB1 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Knowing Paris as it is now and comparing to the photographs in the article I am happy that cleanup was performed. The old architecture was maybe interesting to some extent, but very close to a huge slum.

Note that you can also clean things up without tearing it down entirely. Many cities have retained historical centers in that style without keeping the "slum" bits, and it does makes for more interesting walking around than huge boulevards and avenues. There's an architectural movement to come back to these more human-sized city designs too: smaller streets, more mixed use, less emphasis on large (and motorised) tran…

It works for small towns, not capital cities with multi-million inhabitants. Even with the (fabulous) dense underground network you need larger boulevards and parks, not 3 meter wide streets everywhere. I am not a fan of Champs Elysee (there are so many better places), but it gives some air to the city. I think Paris 200 years ago was claustrophobic and a maze.

Re: Old Paris Is No More

#103

Post by AdrianB1 »

nelgaard wrote: post #27
AdrianB1 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Knowing Paris as it is now and comparing to the photographs in the article I am happy that cleanup was performed. The old architecture was maybe interesting to some extent, but very close to a huge slum.

Maybe. But had those buildings survived they would now be attractive, clean, and very expensive. From the perspective of today the problem was that the families living in the small apartments was way too big and did not pay enough rent to maintain the buildings. They just did not have enough rich single professionals willing to pay chic apartments and studios back then. Or student with rich parents seeking a studio d…

The 2-300 year old buildings would be easier to raze and rebuild than to put electricity and plumbing in it, improve resistance to earthquakes, make it safe to live in case of fire or other events that requires evacuation. They were not safe on modern standards.

Re: Old Paris Is No More

#104

Post by tom_mellior »

notJim wrote: post #101
tom_mellior wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Where else have you rented? I didn't come here for a who-is-more-cosmopolitan dick-waving contest. But if you did, do feel free to entertain us with your personal horror stories from Stockholm, Dublin, and San Francisco. > Paris is a bit expensive but apart from that the rental market works fine. Landlords require you to bring a CV and a work contract and proof of income, which must be 3x the rent, otherwise you mu…

Other than the receipt thing, this sounds the same as anywhere I've rented… I agree it's a shitty system all around, but I don't think any of it is unique to Paris.

Oh, sure, it's not unique, but it's not a sign of a particularly healthy market.

For our current apartment in another EU capital my partner and I were asked informally what we did for a living. I mentioned my income, but I think it was without being asked explicitly. I was prepared to show my work contract as proof, but they never asked. Those were all the required "formalities" before we were given the contract to sign.

Rents around here are rising at a rate of something like 7% per year, so it's not like there's too much housing, but it's not quite as constrained as elsewhere.

Re: Old Paris Is No More

#105

Post by atombender »

thomasfl wrote: post #35
zwaps wrote: post #25

One difference between Haussmann and others is that his buildings turned out to create one of the most beautiful cities in the world. In contrast, 20's century urbanism projects - even on a smaller scale - are almost always considered a failure ex post. In Paris itself, walk yourself through the Les Olympiades area, from Tolbiac down to Porte d'Italie, if you like an impressive testament to that fact. Some other favo…

Poundbury in Dorchester (UK) was nothing but plain grass in the 1990'ies. Now Poundbury is a city that has generated more new jobs than new homes. The price for real estate is 30% higher than neighbouring cities. And they have yet to experience a traffic accident. Beautiful walkable cities is good for business.

What a strange town. It appears to have been built mimicking architectural styles from the 19th century, complete with bricked-up windows, mansard roofs, and use of old-fashioned materials and techniques. I do like the human-sized proportions (houses are generally 4 stories or less) and the use of softer-looking materials like brick and stone and rendered walls, but from the photos the town also seems subtly artificial, like a Disneyland version of England. You'd think there could be a middle ground here that didn't skip modernism entirely.

Re: Old Paris Is No More

#106

Post by pas »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #81
dmix wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived next to it for a number of years and often visited friends who lived there. I’m very familiar with it and the problems it has. The idea of these concrete enclosed blocks of land being havens for crime and gangs is hardly controversial. This isn’t the open walkable streets of some nice European city or even downtown Toronto. It’s isolated and poorly maintained. Basically what people have come to expect from ci…

I don't think they're disputing that it's crime-ridden, just that it's crime-ridden because police cars can't get in.

How .. how can anyone believe police cars can't get in?

People use trucks to move their stuff/furniture there. There are proper paved streets, parking places and so on. You can check on any satellite view service.

Re: Old Paris Is No More

#107

Post by pas »

dmix wrote: post #97
PhasmaFelis wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think they're disputing that it's crime-ridden, just that it's crime-ridden because police cars can't get in.

That's not the only reason why but it's a big one. It's about visual protection with lots of narrow dark alleys and enclosed spaces connecting to endless stairwells. Making surveillance far more difficult and easy for people to disappear into it the minute a watcher sees police enter. Don't underestimate just how lazy and safety obsessed Cops, so they'd need a partner to go with them to enter on foot. Police do bike…

Hm, what's the difference between St. James Town and Békásmegyer? (The latter is perfectly safe, yet looks the same. And it's not a fancy upscale area either.)

https://www.google.com/maps/place/St.+James+Town,+Toronto,+O...

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Budapest,+B%C3%A9k%C3%A1sm...

> These isolated places

How are they isolated? There are perfectly fine streets and parking lots there.

What do you mean roads only on the edges?

And where are the dark alleys? Are there no public street lights?

> and they dont have people constantly hanging out side against the walls next to rear stairwell entrances, while everyone else is scared to go there at night.

What? So what if people are hanging out somewhere? Are they disturbing the tenants? Do they do something illegal? Do people report them to law enforcement? Does law enforcement act on this?

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