Design
Can 'Reinvent Paris 2' Rise Above Its Bad Reputation?
A groundbreaking architectural competition returns to Paris. Are its critics right to fear another fiasco?
This summer, Paris is poised to show cities around the world how to make the most out of neglected, hard-to-deal-with urban spaces.
To do so, it’s inviting architects to go underground. As part of a new competition called Reinvent Paris 2 (Réinventer Paris 2 in French), the city is asking urban designers to come up with innovative uses for 34 pieces currently unused or under-used city-owned plots—most of which are entirely or partly subterranean. Among the line-up are disused “ghost” metro stations such as Croix-Rouge, various basements of historic buildings, tunnels freed up by the banning of cars from the Seine’s lower quay, unused reservoirs, subterranean parking lots and former abattoirs.