The Île de la Cité has no excuse to be boring.

As the final gesture of his term, France’s President François Hollande has made a revamp of the Île de la Cité one of his key legacy projects. The plan, by architect Dominique Perrault, is detailed in an exhibition that opened at the Conciergerie last week. Still at the conceptual stage, it would see the island effectively redesigned to make it more vibrant and pedestrian friendly, giving visitors more things to see there, and, above all, providing a host of new facilities that would make the place more attractive to ordinary Parisians.

Le rapport a été remis par Philippe Bélaval et Dominique Perrault à François Hollande, Président de la République, en présence de Bruno Le Roux, Ministre de l'Intérieur, Audrey Azoulay, Ministre de la Culture et Anne Hidalgo, Maire de Paris.
Le rapport a été remis par Philippe Bélaval et Dominique Perrault à François Hollande, Président de la République, en présence de Bruno Le Roux, Ministre de l'Intérieur, Audrey Azoulay, Ministre de la Culture et Anne Hidalgo, Maire de Paris. © Présidence de la République - F. Lafite

If the island is currently less inviting than it should be, 19th century planners should take the blame. When Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann smashed boulevards through Paris’ historic heart in the mid-19th century, his approach was brutal but unquestionably effective, providing Paris with the broad, elegant avenues it is famous for today. On the Île de la Cité, however, the effect was a bit like cracking a nut with a rock drill. Saving only one small section (explorable here on Google Streetview), Haussmann demolished numerous historic churches and houses to create wide, regimented streets, largely killing the intimate feel of being on an island. (That feeling is still very much present on neighboring Île Saint Louis.)

The tourist and legal quarter that stands there today isn’t ugly. Some sections are decidedly beautiful, but it all feels somewhat lifeless and monotonous. It certainly offers little in the way of places to eat and drink that would entice locals to cross the bridges to the island.

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