Translation of the Full Article
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, promising a ban of private vehicles from the city center, was re-elected with 48.7 percent of the votes casted, outstripping her Republican opponent Rachida Dati by 15 percentage points. First elected in 2014, Hidalgo is the first female mayor of Paris.
Key Summary: Mayor Hidalgo has been implementing radical pro-environmental policies, such as eliminating parking spaces and banning private vehicles from entering key arterial roads with a pledge to “car-free Paris”. With Hidalgo's re-election, Paris is to continue the car-banning experiment, a first of its kind in the world’s largest cities.
A Car-Free City: Mayor Hidalgo has consistently implemented policies discouraging private vehicle usage.
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As COVID-19 social distancing measures reduced the public transportation capacity, the Paris city authorities banned car traffic from its main roads and instead built bike lanes totaling up to 50 kilometers. The city also lowered speed limits and cleared 60,000 street parking spaces for new bike lanes.
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Hidalgo’s vision for a “15-Minute City,” an urban masterplan that enables most daily activities to take place within a walking or cycling distance from residents’ homes, is driving cars out in favor of pedestrians and bikes.
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What was once a highway is now taken over by Parisians. As the city government loosened COVID-19 restrictions for the recent decrease in the number of cases, restaurants and cafes set up outdoor seating areas on what used to be street parking spaces. Many local political pundits see Hidalgo’s decisive victory—a 15 percentage point margin—was possible for these new urban spaces returned to the voters.
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Hidalgo could push hard on the ban on cars, for most Parisians do not own private vehicles: a mere 34 percent of Paris residents own automobiles. In the wealthier western districts where more resident own cars, however, Hidalgo’s vote share was as low as 20 to 30 percent.
Hidalgo, the Immigrant: Her family migrated from the southern Spain region of Andalusia when Hidalgo was 14. Her political success as an immigrant woman is extraordinary in France, a country whose voters are in favor of strong assimilation policies over multiculturalism. France generated international controversy in 2010 by banning full-face coverings in public spaces.
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Her political adversaries attacked her for not having born in Paris. In response, Hidalgo often quoted Russian-French actress Sacha Guitry’s words: “Being a Parisian is not about being born in Paris, it is about being reborn there.”
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Having grown up with financial difficulties in the family, Hidalgo started working for the government as labor inspector before becoming an advisor to former labor minister Martine Aubry, who designed the 35-hour work week. Since 2001, she was a deputy mayor of the city until her victorious Paris mayoral campaign of 2014.
What Lies Ahead: She is rising as a potential runner for the next presidential election in France. Not only can she lead the preparations for Paris summer olympics of 2024, but also the political landscape is changing in her favor. The governing party of President Emmanuel Macron, En March, suffered a bitter loss in the regional elections, while Green Party candidates prevailed in a few notable races.
