Anne Hidalgo Concludes Her Tenure as Paris Mayor After More Than a Decade
On a bright spring morning, the banks of the Seine in Paris are alive with activity. Joggers, cyclists, families, and roller skaters now occupy a space that, just a decade ago, was a congested expressway carrying thousands of vehicles hourly. This transformation is a hallmark of Anne Hidalgo's 12-year leadership as mayor, as she prepares to step down from her role at city hall.
A Legacy of Greening and Pedestrianisation
Hidalgo, who previously served as deputy mayor from 2001 to 2014, spearheaded the controversial closure of the Voie Georges-Pompidou, turning it into a pedestrian-friendly zone. "It was a tough battle. Very tough," she recalls, "but I strongly believed the roads had to be pedestrianised so that people could enjoy the riverbanks." Today, the area hosts the popular Paris Plages summer event, and air pollution in the city has halved due to her policies.
Her administration implemented measures to reduce car dominance, including:
- Increasing parking costs to encourage public transport use.
- Banning cars from areas around schools.
- Creating a network of 1,500km of cycle lanes, making bikes more popular than cars in some parts.
These efforts have earned her recognition from Time and Forbes magazines as a key figure in the global fight against the climate crisis, along with awards from the Urban Land Institute and the UN.
Confronting Challenges and Criticism
Hidalgo's tenure was not without its trials. She faced significant opposition, including petitions, lawsuits, and backlash from motorists. "Changing a city is complicated," she notes, "because even the most progressive people don't want to alter their habits. To succeed, you have to have a strategy, be determined, and, yes, accept being unpopular."
Critics have accused her of overseeing a debt-ridden Paris, with city debt rising from €4.18 billion in 2014 to a projected €9.7 billion by the end of this year. They also label her as authoritarian, particularly among motorists who resent her green policies.
Dealing with Terror Attacks and the Olympics
The mayor also guided Paris through a series of terror attacks that killed 161 people and injured 446. "The attacks changed me deeply and changed the city," she says, describing the struggle to find words after the Bataclan concert hall tragedy. "It caused the loss of a form of lightness of being."
In response, she championed the successful bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, viewing it as a healing process. "We wanted something strong and federative that would generate enthusiasm and allow Parisians to look to the future," she explains. The Games accelerated projects like making the Seine swimmable, a feat once deemed unimaginable.
Addressing Misogyny and Personal Attacks
Hidalgo has been vocal about the "French misogyny and machismo" she encountered during her 25 years in Paris politics. "I'm not going to claim to be a victim, because I'm not," she states, "but there's been a lot of misogyny, which is not fair and not acceptable." She points to criticism over her use of the mayor's allowance for haute couture dresses for Olympic ceremonies, arguing that a male predecessor would not have faced similar scrutiny.
She hopes her successor, Emmanuel Grégoire, will be spared such gender-based challenges, emphasizing the importance of perseverance for future female leaders.
Assessing Her Impact and Future
Under Hidalgo's stewardship, Paris has seen significant environmental improvements:
- 155,000 trees planted.
- Nearly 63,000 hectares of new green spaces created.
- Affordable social housing increased to 25%, up from 13% in 2001.
However, issues like littering, graffiti, and homelessness persist, which she attributes to undisciplined behavior by locals and tourists.
Reflecting on her legacy, Hidalgo says, "I believed the city should be more peaceful, with less noise, more space for pedestrians, more parks and more gardens." She concludes, "I feel I have done my job. People can see through the lies because they see, live and breathe it and they see things are better for them."
