When someone thinks of the Quartier Bercy, I am sure the words hip, modern, and integration come to their mind. Located on the Eastern side of Paris, this old immigrant/industrial neighborhood is an example of urban renewal in Paris. When the Bercy neighborhood was in the outskirts of Paris, it was a popular area for immigrants. In the 1860’s, the area became integrated with the rest of Paris and was turned into an industrial park. Unfortunatly, it failed as an industrial park and fell into disarray. Fortunately, in the 1980’s, the area was introduced to urban renewal. My favorite part of the urban renewal that was done in the area is the reuse of buildings: the former American Center (a Frank Gehry building done in sandstone to mimic the rest of Paris) is now the French Cinematheque building, old wine cellars have been turned into shops, and an old industrial building now thrives as an artist’s colony.
One of the discussions that came up today during class was whether or not we liked the neighborhood and what has been done to it. After hours of pondering, I came to the conclusion that I highly enjoy visiting it, but I would not want to live there.
Why I like to visit Quartier Bercy
1. Tourists don’t know about the area; this makes for a quiet, relaxing visit.
2. Even though the buildings are modern, they are all different in stylistically different.
3. There is a lot of green space. There are trees, vines on buildings, and a first in the middle of the library!
4. It is easy to navigate because it felt much more like a grid compared to the rest of Paris.
5. The human scale and enclosure at spot on; I felt extremely comfortable walking around.
6. Every mode of transportation is available: light rail, bike, car, feet, metro.
Why I wouldn’t want to live in Quartier Bercy
1. There aren’t any established shops.
2. I didn’t see any market space.
3. There were too many open spaces that made me feel exposed, especially around the library.
4. It isn’t timeless; I can see the the modern style getting outdated.
5. There wasn’t a sense of history.
6. People go there for a short period of time to visit. Not enough people live there.
Overall, I liked the area and I hope it continues to thrive! Hopefully, the area will soon prove me wrong!
Observing the forest
Frank Gehry building
