Six Paris squares set for major revamps

Emmanuel Grégoire’s plan to overhaul six Paris squares is part campaign promise, part extension of projects already under way across the capital. The six sites now in his sights are Place de la Concorde, Place d’Italie, Trocadéro, Stalingrad, Gambetta and République, according to reporting by Le Bonbon on May 19 and earlier campaign coverage in February. March 29, 2026, matters here because that is when Paris city council formally elected Grégoire mayor with 103 votes, giving him control of the next phase of public-space projects he had floated during the municipal campaign. In his campaign platform, he had pledged to keep reshaping streets, squares and gateways to the city around greening, pedestrian access and reduced space for cars. (lebonbon.fr) ### Which six squares are on the list? Le Bonbon identified the six squares as Concorde, Italie, Trocadéro, Stalingrad, Gambetta and République. The outlet said Grégoire had promised during the campaign to make them “plus vertes, plus apaisées et plus belles” — greener, calmer and more beautiful. February campaign reporting by Le Bonbon and Le Parisien overlapped on most of that list, though those earlier accounts referred to five or six major places depending on the version of the program presented at the time. (paris.fr) Both described the policy direction in similar terms: more vegetation, more pedestrian space and less room for traffic. (lebonbon.fr) That matters because the project is not being presented as a single construction launch with one published timetable. It is better understood, based on the available reporting, as a package of square-by-square redesigns that Grégoire carried from the campaign into office. ### Why are Bastille and Denfert-Rochereau part of the conversation? (lebonbon.fr) Place de la Bastille and Place Denfert-Rochereau are the administration’s recent reference points. Paris city government says Bastille’s redesign, completed after more than two years of works, created more than one hectare of pedestrian space and made the square more accessible and welcoming. (lebonbon.fr) Denfert-Rochereau is still under construction. Paris said on April 21 that the 4-hectare square is being remade with more than 100 trees, 30,000 plants, new cycle lanes, pedestrian areas and accessible bus stops, with completion scheduled for 2027. A city project document puts the tree count at 107 and says the plan includes 10,000 square meters of permeable space. (paris.fr) Residents’ complaints about traffic changes after Bastille also help explain the caution around the next round of projects. Le Bonbon said Bastille’s circulation has been criticized as chaotic, and cited Gambetta as another example of a site already reworked once and now due for further changes. ### What is Grégoire saying the redesigns are for? (paris.fr) May 11 set out the broadest official framing so far. At a press conference that day, Grégoire presented what Le Bonbon described as the “grandes orientations de la mandature,” including “l’entretien, l’amélioration et la transformation de l’espace public.” (lebonbon.fr) In the same account, Grégoire said he knew many Parisians were dissatisfied with the quality of public space and said he wanted to guarantee a “droit au beau” in all neighborhoods. The priorities listed included sidewalks, construction sites, terraces, facades, paving, historic street furniture and bridges, alongside continued pedestrianization and greener streets. (lebonbon.fr) During the campaign, he had also linked the ecological program to public health. Le Bonbon quoted him in February as saying, “L’écologie à Paris est d’abord une politique de santé publique.” ### Do the city and press accounts give costs or firm deadlines? No full cost envelope for the six-square package appears in the reporting reviewed here. (lebonbon.fr) Le Bonbon’s May 19 article described the projects as work for “the coming years,” not as a single dated rollout. Specific calendars are easier to find for existing projects than for the new list. (lebonbon.fr) Denfert-Rochereau is due to finish in 2027, while Bastille’s redesign was completed in 2021. For the broader public-space agenda, Le Bonbon reported that Grégoire plans to bring 1,000 “points noirs” — problem spots in public space — to the next Paris Council. (lebonbon.fr) The next concrete step, based on the sources now available, is not a published groundbreaking date for all six squares. It is the city’s next round of council and project-by-project announcements, with Grégoire’s office already tying the square revamps to a wider mandate on design, maintenance and neighborhood public space. (lebonbon.fr) (paris.fr)