After a deadly heat wave exposed the limits of long-term climate planning, Paris is accelerating urban redesign through greener streets, cooler buildings and climate-resilient neighbourhoods.
Across much of the world, political inertia and direct opposition to climate action have led governments to scale back emissions targets, delay investments, and unwind environmental policies. Paris, however, is charting a different course.
Following March’s municipal mayoral election, the city known for its leading role in environmental sustainability and 2050 carbon neutrality goals is holding firm to its climate commitment. Continuing a 25-year streak of Socialist governance, Emmanuel Grégoire was elected on a platform to deliver climate-proof, green urban infrastructure through the Bioclimatic Local Urban Plan (PLUb) model. The model represents a shift in how the government is responding to the climate crisis – from developing long-term initiatives on foreseeable threats to prioritising immediate action against effects already underway.
Accelerating the timeline
In June, just three months after Gregoire assumed office, France experienced a record-breaking heatwave. Peak temperatures of 41 degrees Celsius were recorded in Paris, worsened by dense infrastructure and zinc rooftops that turn traditional Parisian apartments into slow cookers.
The resulting fallout of the unprecedented heat led to an estimated 2000-plus deaths in the country, and a 62.8 per cent surge in weekly deaths in the Paris city region, according to data collected by the country’s national public health agency.
With Europe reported as the fastest-warming continent, at twice the global average, this was not a standalone event.
In an interview with Le Monde, a leading French newspaper, Gregoire acknowledged the heat wave and said that while the previous Paris Climate Action Plan 2024-30 has helped with “reducing our environmental footprint,” it is not enough. Now, he said the challenge is to “win the battle of building renovation”.
“At Paris City Hall, we ourselves erred a little in talking about mitigation and adaptation by 2050,” he said.
“We cannot continue for 25 years without taking even more actions now,” added former First Deputy of Paris Anne Hidalgo.
Designing a cooler city
The new PLUb model will accelerate the Paris Climate Action Plan 2024-30 and integrate it with the “15-minute city” concept, allowing residents to access their daily necessities within a 15-minute walk or bike ride.
The objective of the initiative remains carbon neutrality and climate resilience by 2050, but instead of waiting decades, the city will benefit sooner from urban greening and building retrofits.
Among the model initiatives developed in 2024 by Gregoire during his role as First Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning, 40 per cent of the territory is to be vegetated or desealed by 2050, large sites must dedicate 65 per cent of their ground space to greenery, and 50 per cent of all major housing projects must be reserved for social housing.
Previous city governance set the groundwork for the model in 2022 with the “Pact for Parisian Construction,” a framework outlining 10 objectives to prioritise strict building standards as infrastructure expands. Key aspects include reducing carbon lifecycle footprints, promoting building adaptability with modular and reversible designs, and ensuring new projects integrate seamlessly into the culture and landscape.
The PLUb model turns the concepts of this framework into mandatory law to address immediate climate concerns and maximise the use of urban areas. In doing so, Parisian authority is also working to reduce potential reliance on air conditioners, which could further drive up emissions.
The airconditioning debate
Carbon Brief reports that about 25 per cent of French households have AC. In Paris, that figure is much lower at about 5 per cent.
As heat rises, however, so too does demand for household AC units.
As the French break from their traditional aversion to AC, sudden spikes in cooling demand may force the grid to rely on supplementary gas-fired power plants. Additionally, the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used by AC units for cooling pose greenhouse warming potentials thousands of times that of carbon dioxide, according to analyses by the Environmental Investigation Agency.
Until recently, the Green Movement in France has regarded AC as the worst solution to climate change. Now, with temperatures soaring to record highs, the BBC reported Ecologists party head Marine Tondelier said it’s becoming a necessity for public health.
“There are places where we just can’t do without it now,” she said.
An immediate goal of the PLUb model is to address urban heating without relying on AC. Beyond immediate infrastructure redesign to promote passive cooling, the city will expand its underground cooling network, using chilled water from the Seine.
Scaling climate resilience
As Paris carries out its ambitious sustainable city vision, designers continue to promote and share strategies with other metropolises. Recognised as a “Lighthouse City” for the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities, the PLUb model is a replicable, scalable blueprint to pioneer the future of sustainable urban living.
Effects of climate change are already irreversible on human timescales. As urban areas prepare to meet the demands of continually rising populations, Paris offers a glimpse into how cities can adapt through redesign.
