CIVIC-LINE - A citizen-run innovative public space in a contested territory

Community

New life under the metro: transforming a derelict space into a showcase of citizen governance

The CivicLine project focuses on a contested territory: the abandoned public space under the aerial metro in northern Paris, where multiple illegal and informal activities have taken root (migrant camps, informal markets, drug trafficking, garbage dumping), provoking conflicts between people and organisations with opposing visions and interests. The CivicLine collective proposes the transformation of this contested territory into an innovative public space negotiated and managed by citizens via a common governance approach. After consultations with more than 2,000 residents, local organisations and city services, we set up a network of local stakeholders who wish to discuss the uses for the future CivicLine in a democratic dialogue around shared values: ecological improvement, development of the local economy, intercultural and intergenerational exchanges, presence of women in public space. In the next two years, we will transform this 1.5 km ‘urban barrier’ into a space of visibility and cooperation, showcasing the social and cultural resources of northern Paris.