Reconciling Planning and Project
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https://doi.org/10.24306/TrAESOP.2026.01.006Published
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Copyright (c) 2026 Marco Cremaschi
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French urban planning, project urbain, tavtical urbanism, PLUb Paris, Paris 2024 Olympics, urban governance, contextualism, ecological transitionAbstract
French planning is characterized by a persistent duality, wherein a centralized regulatory framework coexists with flexible, design-driven, project-based practices. The analysis in this paper situates these developments within the broader evolution of French planning, tracing the transition from postwar centralization to decentralization and ecological transition. It addresses the separation which exists between statutory planning and project delivery via Zones d’Aménagement Concerté (ZACs), the emergence of the projet urbain as a negotiated design practice, and the rise of tactical urbanism since the 2000s. By engaging with five contemporary trajectories in architecture and planning—from post-urbanism to political contextualism—the paper contends that effective planning must integrate spatial rationality, local specificity, and political agency, while acknowledging power and resource asymmetries. The conclusion advocates for strategic incrementalism, suggesting that the future of French planning relies on transforming the plan-project duality from a structural constraint into a productive tension that supports adaptive, equitable, and democratic urban development.
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