" Ten kilometers separate the Jardin du Luxembourg, 22 ha in size, from the Parc de Sceaux, 180 ha in size. Six kilometers separate Place de la République from the quais along the Canal de l’Ourcq in Pantin, which is emerging as a major cultural hub of Grand Paris. And 12 kilometers separate the center of Paris from the Parc de Saint-Cloud, which, at 460 ha in size, is bigger than the 120 ha that make up Central Park. These destinations can readily be reached by bicycle or public transportation, yet they are not a part of the Parisian repertoire. One even senses that there is an insurmountable chasm between the two sides of Paris’ ring road, the périphérique. For these metropolitan points of interest to be appropriated more fully, they need better information, of which signage forms an important part. When we see signs for Concorde, Nation, or Bastille, these areas come to form part of our mental maps. When you arrive at the city gates, you see signage that instantly tells you that you are in the suburbs, and no longer in Paris.  To promote the outskirts of Grand Paris, we must therefore install metropolitan signage in all of Paris’ neighborhoods. This is especially important for regulating tourist flows at a time when cities such as Amsterdam or Venice have been forced to implement drastic measures to avoid the total saturation of their city centers. This new signage demands a different design from the one used for Paris to give a sense of the scale within which viewers locate themselves. Enlarge your Paris, a Grand Paris cultural organization, and Les Magasins Généraux, a creative center in Pantin, which created the first Guide for Grand Parisians, propose to undertake this project ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games. "

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PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
Enlarge your Paris, Magasins généraux