From a City of Walls to a City for All

Karlou Westerbeek: Turning a city of walls into a city for all: a redevelopment strategy to reunite the urban core with the metropolitan region of Grand Paris

Location: Paris, France
Mentors: Rodrigo Cardoso, Rients Dijkstra
Keywords: Urban inequalities, infrastructure, intra-urban connectivity, redevelopment strategy, Métropole du Grand Paris

Throughout history, Paris has always been a divided city. The inequalities between the wealthy core and the poor periphery are increasing rapidly. The Boulevard Périphérique functions as a modern city wall, excluding citizens of the metropolitan region from the resources that the city has to offer. This concrete ring road is the spatial and symbolic manifestation of the imbalance between the city and periphery. The research- and design project shows how the redevelopment of the Boulevard Périphérique can contribute to transform its spatial, functional, social and symbolic roles, in order to address the socio-spatial inequality challenges in the metropolitan area of Paris. The final outcomes are a strategic framework, spatial framework and a redevelopment toolbox to tackle the complexity of the infrastructure project.