Sarkozy challenges architects to create a Paris of the future

Paris: French President Nicolas Sarkozy challenged ten architects on Wednesday to redesign the Paris metropolis within six months in a grand urban project billed the most ambitious since Baron Haussmann put his stamp on the city.

The architects, backed by teams of planners, engineers, sociologists and even philosophers, a total of about 250 people, have been asked to come up with new ideas for the city's boundaries, transport, the way it is governed, its environmental impact and its aesthetics.

"The aim is to spawn a new city, like Baron Haussmann did in his day," Sarkozy aide Henri Guaino told Le Monde newspaper.

Haussmann transformed Paris in the 1850s and 60s, ploughing through medieval districts, which were known to be cramped, to create long, straight, tree-lined avenues and incorporating suburbs into the city. He gave the Champs Elysees avenue its present layout.

Sarkozy hosted ten architects including Pritzker Prize winners Jean Nouvel and Richard Rogers at his Elysee Palace on Wednesday and asked them to present their visions in six months. One of them will eventually be selected for implementation.

The exact scope, cost and time frame of the "Greater Paris" project are yet to be determined. Sarkozy's term as president ends in 2012.

Clash of wills

Right-wing Sarkozy's project could set him on a collision course with the Socialist mayor of the capital, Bertrand Delanoe, who is widely expected to run for president against Sarkozy in 2012.

Delanoe has said he would work with the government over the "Greater Paris" urban planning project, but he is likely to try to assert his own vision and as mayor he has extensive powers that Sarkozy will have to contend with.