USAGES Paris

This is a view of the uses of public space in a city of major international importance. What is going on in the streets of Paris? This simple question is the starting point for our study. During the autumn of 2010 we walked around the different districts of Paris looking at the way space is used and people’s attitudes. We did not seek out what is exceptional, instead focusing on the everyday and the immediate. We did not look at transport, which is another subject entirely. We looked at things from the pedestrian’s viewpoint, seeing the city at eye level. The drawings presented provide a factual but subjective account of the scenes we encountered. This Paris Observation raises a number of questions on the relationships between urban form, development and sense of ownership. This book aims to highlight the use of space, an essential part of the urban experience.