The City of Paris entrusts Louis Vuitton with the development of streets near the Champs-Élysées

The City of Paris decided on Wednesday October 7 to delegate to Louis Vuitton the redevelopment of two streets at the foot of its future department store on the Champs-Élysées, raising controversy in the Paris Council where elected officials denounced a “privatization of public space”. The company of the luxury giant LVMH had proposed to the City to cover entirely at its expense, for an amount of 2 million euros, the rehabilitation work on Bassano and Galilée streets (8th arrondissement), adjacent to the trunk maker's future establishment.

In order to “calm down” these streets “for the benefit of pedestrians”, “the sidewalks will be extended with the installation of bicycle hoops and planted bins”, according to the deliberation adopted by the Paris Council. “Louis Vuitton has a construction site that extends very far onto these streets, therefore it has the obligation to restore the public space to its original state following the work,” explained Thomas Chevandier, deputy to the socialist mayor of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire in charge of public space and works.

But it was the transfer of project management to Louis Vuitton that sparked debate in the Parisian chamber, including among majority environmentalists. “Faced with the state of municipal finances, seeing a private actor invest such a sum to beautify our roads is a breath of fresh air. But by entrusting the entire management of the work to the private sector, the City is setting itself back from its own domain,” lamented Catherine Lécuyer, LR mayor of the 8th arrondissement.

“Today it’s Bassano and Galilée streets, and tomorrow? What is the city’s doctrine in terms of financing public space?” asked Séverine de Compreignac, from the Paris au center group. LVMH “is not just going to do work, it is going to design the street, rethink the public space for its customers,” fears ecologist Emile Meunier. “You continue to open a dangerous door to the privatization of public space,” said the opposition elected official, co-president of the New Paris Popular group with Sophia Chikirou, to the mayor.

Judging the debate to be “gruesome”, Emmanuel Grégoire responded “totally take responsibility” for his approach. “In the somewhat demanding moment for public finances which weighs on everyone, each time I am given the opportunity to call on those who can to contribute because Paris contributes to their influence, I will take their money to go and finance in the neighborhoods where no one will,” he pleaded. “If that allows us to raise two million more to finance a street for schools, I am pleased to have done it!” added the socialist councilor. Questioned by AFP, LVMH did not wish to comment.