Thank you for watching - do you think this method would work for other towns as well? Why so, or why not? How can we convince policymakers to take beauty serious?

A lot of people don't seem to understand how important trees, grass, and decent architecture are to improving people's lives.

i recently graduated with an architecture degree, during all those years I've always tried to prove that classical design mixed with modern tecnology and techniques are the future of architecture. but everyone even the professors stayed stuck with this dreadful abstract and depressing buildings. This town proves that beauty and tradition will always triumph over mass produce minimalism. Thank you for this great video!

Why are beautiful old towns and cities so popular? Because they’re beautiful!

This is a slap across the faces of those modernist architects and their supporters, and I love it.

I visited this town in 1989 while studying Architecture in Versailles, nearby to the northwest. It was very grim and had a brutal rundown feeling. It is amazing to see how a focused mayor, good architectural design, and around 30 years can transform a place. Yes, short sighted developers can destroy a place.

It’s my dream to see the entirety of my country heal overtime like this 🇫🇷

Aesthetics is so pivotal to our wellbeing that it can be the difference between depression and joy

I am an architect and admire this effort, congratulations to all who made it happen, and thanks for the video. This type of urban design is exceptional and should be taught in architecture schools, where strident, harsh, cold oppressive buildings are considered the new age and only way....yet are ruining cities. This town here as shown is GREAT!!!!!

This actually moved me. I did not thinks this was still possible in our days and age.

I, as a Brazilian, am so used to see people thinking only on the next four year (i.e., the next elections), that it's absolutely astounding to think of someone developing a city planning project for 20+ years

I lived in Plessis-Robinson for 4 years. Coming from Paris, what surprised me most at first was the cleanliness and respect of the people who live there. The facilities are well thought out (car parking in the basement, efficient and punctual garbage collection, shops with long opening hours, armed local police, so you can come in late without worrying about security). I think the most important thing is to give residents the desire to preserve their homes, whether social or otherwise. It's well described in this video: empowerment is key.

“Beauty and human dignity go hand in hand.” You are so right. This video is absolutely amazing. There are so many lessons here. Allowing people to purchase and therefore take ownership of the area seems pivotal. Not only do they have a developing asset, I imagine it increases their personal investment in the area. And attachment to it as you said. I live in Los Angeles and we are in need of some more human centered solutions to the housing crisis.

I've lived in this town my entire life. It feels so strange to see the building you live in and the streets you walk through every day in a high quality English speaking video. I've learned so much from this video and makes me appreciate this town even more, as I've always took this place for granted. Thank you very much for this video .

As a French living in Paris region, I heard Robinson for its pleasant living quality, I never ever thought it was like that in the 80's

I hope America and other nations who made the mistake of going for grey slab buildings follow suit. There are so many historic sights in cities like Houston, Los Angeles, and even St. Louis that were demolished to make way for parking lots and strip malls. I wish to see these city centers be rebuilt with mixed use buildings soon.

Urban planners and the public can learn so much from visiting charming villages in France. Tourists flock to these picturesque villages because the aesthetics makes them happy. The scale and shapes of the buildings, and the pathways in between, along with the materials, details, and landscaping create a mood that people love and encourages walking and interacting with people. Contrary to this is the horrible grid pattern for streets that are prevalent throughout the United States where people drive for miles to visit look-alike malls.

Very refreshing to see these kind of projects being still made. Having studied at ETH Zurich, I never encountered during my 5 years of study any professor or lecturer talking about these kind of projects, or any classic style project in general. The point is that our universities are focusing only on modernist and post-modernist theories, where aesthetics are in oblivion. Old theories got lost, and architects now only talk about the political and technological side of architecture. Aesthetics and human psychology should be integrated into the debate, in order to promote humanscale architecture and improve the wellbeing of humans in the built environment.

Great video! I'm an architect and I'm constantly fighting misconceptions amongst both the public and other people in the industry who think that good cities can't be built anymore. Please bring us more videos - I need fodder to convince them!

“Beauty and dignity go hand in hand” wow! Thank you. It is abundantly clear. ❤

Thanks for this video. I always wonder why in the last 60 years beautiful cities have been ruined by awful new buildings. This is really inspiring.

You are right. Making people live in an ugly place is the ultimate and most insidious injustice.

Beauty is not a luxury, but a human need. Instant subscription, very much looking forward to seeing more from you

This was awesome. I hope more cities do this.

Too often we don’t even realise (or we ignore) what is wrong, until we experience something that feels right. I think many people (including my self) have not only enjoyed these videos demonstrating positive and beautiful change, but we have also been surprisingly moved by them. I think for too long we have been taught that doing things the right way, the good way, is naive and unprofitable, or only for the wealthy. Doing things right has its own rewards that are much longer lasting and and have a deeper impact than we realise. I think that perhaps humanity is beginning to realise what it has been missing and also recognising what is actually possible. Thank you for these videos. I look forward to seeing many many more, knowing that at least in these places people are getting it right and will hopefully be examples that will spread far and wide! 🖖🏼❤️

Fantastic video - so encouraging to see. What Pemezec did by adding beautiful ornamental plants was also done all over Singapore to boost morale, under an extremely pragmatic prime minister. Not only did this help Singapore; it also inspired other Asian cities to do the same, even competitively. Even if beauty is a goal in its own right, it pays off!

Having trees everywhere is very important to embellish our cities

This was nice to see, so often everyone is so focused on the efficiency of human housing and keeping it as cost-effective as possible that we forget the human element.

Inspired by your video I visited le Plessis-robinson a few weeks ago. I had to be in the neighbourhood for business and took the opportunity to stay there for a few days. It was even nicer than I expected. Even in late November. Now the buildings are getting a bit older, they look less "Disney" and more real life. I had my car with me but walking around was a pleasure, for it enabled us to take the walkways and paths between the buildings. The project of le Plessis-robinson has inspired many other locations in that area, to build new projects in this "Néo-Traditionnel" style as you can clearly see when driving from le Plessis-robinson towards the centre of Paris.

Some of the buildings look a bit kitsch, but many of them are nice. Overall, a great improvement. This is a step to reach the cultural revolution we need to bring back traditional architecture and beauty. I'm sure future projects will be even better.

OMG I've been living in le Plessis Robinson since 2018 ! Thank you for the shoutout! What a brilliant quality video ! I've learnt so much. So funny to recognize the spots you filmed. It IS a lovely town to live in. You should see at Christmas time the magic of the parades, market and fireworks. Loads of families and children. And the gerdening team is so clever. Every season it's like a painting of flowers and colors and gorgeous floral smells.

I love this video because not only did you go through the process of how this town came to be, and the importance of good infrastructure, but also showed the problems that can come about. But it really does show what I've been telling people-- change is possible. We shouldn't have to accept ugly areas or ones with poor infrastructure.

I'm pleased to see a video about Le Plessis Robinson, where I lived for 2 years. Other cities next to it, like Clamart, are following quite the same strategy. Thank you for your video!

I completely agree with the idea that beauty matters. It's really important for people to feel well treated. Unfortunately, le Plessis Robinson is now very expensive though(and look a bit like a ski station) because the same plan is not applied everywhere in France and we still have lots of places with terrible urbanism in poor neighborhoods.

“Beauty and human dignity go hand in hand” that’s so good! You have skilfully clarified my abstract feelings and inspired me to make something today 🕊️✨

Though I’m not doing anything related to architecture, I found this video extremely informative and helpful to remind us of the importance of beauty, which has been faded recently. Please have more videos like this in the future.

I’ve been living 45 years close by and never heard of that project… Today it is a commercial success and nice place to live in. Thanks for posting.

It brings me so much hope in these seemingly hopeless times of modernist monstrosities. Amazing work.

I grew up near that town and went through it regularly as the whole city center was built. I found it so weird and ugly during its development, as you could see columns and pediments made out of grey concrete. It looked faked, like a Disneyland park under construction. But I ended up liking the final result as I got used to it. And if there still are some kitsch or over the top designs here and there, the whole city looks quite good and indeed feels very pleasant, especially on foot. Like shopping there from store to store feels like living in a village, very cosy. I realized after your video that during the development I could still see the old ugly blocks next to it, and if I didn't find them nice by any means, I wasn't as shocked by it as thIs new project. It made me realize how much accustomed we can get even to the ugliest things, to the point it's difficult to imagine something else.

I wish we would do this in our Mexican towns. We do have beautiful colonial cities, but then we have some awful ones too that I wish could get transformed just like this gorgeous little town.

I often work in Plessis, and have wondered how/why its so charming and people are so polite and cheerful. Thanks for your video!

Hi Rueben not only was it great to meet you at IMCL in Le Plessis-Robinson last year, but you have saved me a ton of work by producing such a wonderful and informative video. Instead of a post-conference report, I will just show your video to my team! One point though, "gentrification" is not in itself a problem. After all, how can making a place nicer be a problem? The correct answer is that gentrification often leads to "displacement" and it is displacement that is the problem. As you explain in the video, Mayor (now Senator) Philippe Pemezec and his council, minimized displacement by supporting existing social housing tenants to purchase the rebuilt (or in some cases renovated) apartments. 80% took up the offer (and then re-elected him - why wouldn't they!). So, these families have now moved from working class to middle class AND live in a wonderful place AND have an appreciating asset that their children can inherit. (BTW, I saw plenty of teenagers around the place, but never any indication of anti-social behavior.) Urban planning is not about laying out roads and utilities and managing construction, it is about building happy and healthy communities. The rest is just a means to an end.

I am an architect and have been of the same opinion for a long time. I am glad you made this video. It will help people to understand this better and hopefully implement it more often.

I LOVE THIS!!! It really goes to show you can redesign a city into a more pleasant, walkable, and beautiful city!! I would love to live there compared to where I live now.

what a good video you did such a great job! :)) the subject was hope-giving and your angles were able to capture almost every important point to ponder on. Loved it!

Similar development happened on the satellite towns outside Montpellier in France. Lattes, Port Arianne and Port Marianne, exactly the same ideology and it really does make a difference. I would move bak there to retire in a heartbeat.

My hometown. I am born there in 1995 and lived there all my life until some years ago when, as a broke student, I had, to follow my parents who moved out of the city as my father retired. We previously lived in a staff housing unit which was probably one of the first buildings built according to this plan. You are rigth when you say that it is an amazing city to grow up and live in. But gentrification is a real thing in Le Plessis-Robinson. Literally all the friends I grew up with have left the town because they could not afford to decently live there exept in their parent's housing. Of course, people who bought their housing years ago are doing just fine, but many people who were tenants of their housing had to go into exile in other cities because of the prices. Low and Middle-classes who didn't succeed to have access to social housing (or don't want to) are the most impacted. Today, buying or renting a housing in Le Plessis-robinson is extremely expensive. Of course, this phenomenon affects the entire Paris region, but few places have seen their prices rise as much and as quickly as Le Plessis-Robinson. It's very cool to see what the city has become, but me and my friends have to admit that it's frustrating not being able to live in the town where we grew up and consider as our home. By the way, although the modern buildings built in the last decades are beyond magnificent and make a big part of the city's charm , I have always thought that some of the buildings built from the 30's to the 80's also had their place in the city, and I miss some of them which no longer exist. I even think that you judge a little too harshly the "white blocks" you show and criticize in your video. Sure, they are from another time, but, If I remember correctly, these are totally decent privately owned housings. And they are even pretty expensive now given the price of real estate in Le Plessis-Robinson. A friend of mine and my doctor's office were in those, and the inside is in fact quite nice. And I always thought that the outside was calm and pleasant. By the way, the buildings that were destroyed to create the new garden city had very nice private vegetable gardens. And even some of my friends who lived in the poorest part of the city (just after the market and the cultural center), which is almost 100% social housing, found the place they where living in pretty calm and pleasant (even thought I have to admit that security has greatly improved there since the end of the 2000's). Overall, the newer parts of the city aren't the only nice places to live in, even if I understand why people find blocks ugly, after all, my parents hated Le Plessis-Robinson when they moved in in the 80's. Now that I think about it, in pair with the architecture, what has always made Le Plessis-robinson stand out to me and my friends compared to it's neighboring towns is how calm it is. The layout of the buildings (even the blocks), the green spaces, the parks, the trees. I never felt it was as crowded and busy as other cities of the area. It seemed more aerated. Finally, I will say that all the changes made are not necessarily perfect. Some new buildings are much larger and imposing than those they replace, and sometimes replace spaces that used to be more open and aerated. But, surely, I miss my city and is very nostalgic about it. PS : It seems to me that the first social housing in France was built at Le Plessis-Robinson. Also, concerning the architecture of the city during its communist era. I'm not sure that the communists are the only ones to blame. It was what was globally built in France at the time.

Totally eye-opening. I didn't know anything about the project before seeing your video. So, that it can actually be done is just wonderful and gives a whole lot of new perspectives. Your excellent work is very much appreciated!

I am grateful that I find about this channel from Jeff Speck’s tweet because it gives me hope to see changes happen in cities, especially in my neighborhood area. When I go to my city centre, sometimes I create images in my head of what could be done to make the area more liveable and attractive, seeing more people walking and interacting at shops, and less dependent on cars to go around and travel within it. This channel gives me some insights on the realistical approach taken to financialize the development which gives me more hopes that this new urbanism is possible regardless of the country. Keep up the good work, cheers!

I am glad you mentioned the weakness in the tower in the park design(8:33). People have no incentive to take care of a place that others can easily vandalize and face no repercussions.

This is REALLY interesting. As a suburbian Parisian, I lived in some neighbouring communes of Le Plessis-Robinson during many years, but rather at the very begininng of this huge work. At this time, the common feeling in the surrounding communes was that it was ridiculous or useless, just a plaster on the commune's image, which was from “bizarre” to “unpleasant”. Moreover, it wasn't considered as a “real” commune, due especially to the elevation difference and the absence of real link between the different parts. We didn't think it could change so dramatically from this awful reputation to anything else. What is relevant, too, is that many other communes in the same part of the suburbs of Paris have similar architectural programs, including a reflexion on urban planning and design (Châtillon, Antony, Montrouge, and of course Issy-les-Moulineaux), although maybe not so comprehensive. But they seemed to be more able to realize such programs, due to their position, their financial health, their size. I'm really impressed by what have been done ; this isn't only a example, but it will become a model in the current paradigm in Île-de-France's planning, due to many factors : the extension of the metro is the most known, but the great work done about the tram counts, too ; and of course the radical change of cycling infrastructure. And many changes about the regulation in building. Thank you and keep producing such contents !

Wow! I just love this program and what have been done! Pure excellence ! Much appreciated!

A stunning transformation of the city. These people are changing the lives and inspiring thousands.

I especially liked the conclusion that beautiful places can be planned and created purposefully. France really shows us here how it works. It does not always have to be empty modernism. I hope that this way of thinking about architecture will spread further in Europe. I myself come from East Germany. Besides a lot of traditional and historical architecture, we also have a lot of blocks from the socialist era. They are really nice and cheap apartments! But the environment, the feeling of living and the social togetherness is often much worse than in other parts of the city. I hope that in the future we will plan our living environment more lovingly. Architecture and human dignity really go hand in hand.

All of Europe should take a look at this and replicate this in as many cities as possible!

This is amazing. I have been here many times but never realised that it been transformed. It is a lovely area

This was my city !!! Le Plessis Robinson. And M. PEMZEC did à fantastic job... Green, calm, relax People.

I live in the USA in a suburb of Seattle. In 2000 I lived a little bit closer in, about 5 miles away in a community that was on the shores of Lake Washington (the largest Lake in the Seattle area). While living there an amazing opportunity came available where a large piece of land next to the Lake and a big public beach park became available for redevelopment. I had 3 very small children at the time so wasn’t paying attention to how the city made choices about this area. They decided on an “urban village” and there was a lot of talk about New Urbanism. Unfortunately what got built to me was a completely wasted opportunity and a scandal really compared to into potential. For a start, one of the largest parcels right near the lake had a big retail pharmacy with car park built on it. A “big box” style building typical of America, ugly, one story and featureless. This would have been the perfect location for restaurants, cafes and small businesses with outside seating so the community could enjoy the park and lake views. Then the actual mixed-use buildings of apartments and retail were all the same height, about six stories with flat roofs and flat facades with nothing to break up the monotony. They also didn’t have what would seem so obvious, which was good sized balconies for the residents to enjoy the lake view. The result was dull, prison block aesthetics with a wind tunnel effect as there was nothing to break up the tall flat blocks. I was frankly shocked and disappointed and couldn’t believe how short sighted this was. Instead of spurring a beautiful redevelopment (as large numbers of people move into the area and we need more housing) it was really uninspiring. People like ourselves who may have been open to living in the area now had no interest. Why the huge pharmacy got to front the development instead of be further back (if it had to be built) summed up the entire lack of will by the city and developers for a vision and commitment to beauty and livability.

I live in here. This morning I wake up, open UKposts, see a thumbnail clearly showing one of the many houses I see everyday. This video is amazing and really well made, thank you for giving that tiny city attention, you really made my day!

We are just in the final stages of our 'Triple Access Planning - Handbook for Practitioners'. One practitioner pointed me to this video. My goodness - what an incredible inspiration! Thank you so much.

Evidence that beauty is NOT in the eye of the beholder. Architecture inspired by traditional aesthetics, with functionality that is designed with community-centric public spaces, quiet streets, and greenery - This is what's important.

Bonjour, as an American, I can say that I wish our cities were planned/redeveloped so beautifully. I can say that with envy because having lived in NYC I know that the whole "Concrete Jungle" thing is real. Also, now that I reside in Western Massachusetts(rural area) about 2 hours from Boston I can say that Boston is generally prettier than NYC because it has emulated Europe to higher degree. First English building then French!

I m surprised you don t mention an architect named Christopher Alexander and his pupil Nicos Salingaros ,he pioneered this sort of approach largely in the last century but he was ignored and ridiculed by the modernists.Pattern Language and the Timeless Way of Building were some of his books, I recommend you look into him, otherwise you re doing a great job , so many cities have been destroyed by the beauty hating modernists especially after World War 2.

Such an inspiring story. I loved this video! So many council estates in the UK are in desperate need of this approach.

Thank you for this lecture; you did a great job. The focus here is this incredible success story that has so many implications for people all over the world. This success story should be on every front cover of every magazine and newspapers. Here is an answer so many have been looking for; at least one answer that works. As an architect in NYC we can learn SO much from this towns' strategy.

I hope this happens to many other cities, but unfortunately, this town is very close to Paris in a very high value area (on the axis between Versailles and Paris). It was a viable candidate for high urbanism investment, thanks to a mostly unexploited potential. Many cities that would need that kind of refurbishment don't have that much concealed potential.

This brings great joy to my heart! Humans definitely deserve to live in the most beautiful and nourishing environments, and anything less than is exactly as you say; unethical. This project represents a great step in the direction of rehabilitating so much of the ugliness we have around us today!

Truly amazing! I love it!

This is THE perfect example of the difference between things created for people & those things created first & foremost for profit......most of our world !

I so so agree with you - if you make people live and work in places that look like the back of your garage, how can you expect them to be civilised? I have see this again and again in educational architecture and cannot help wondering who signed off on some of these projects - definitely someone who wasn't going to have to live, work, or study in them. Many thanks for posting this video.

This is AMAZING !! Especially as a French, I hope this kind of project expands everywhere. Even, not necessarily this beautiful but , a fair amount. Because what you said about beauty at the end is very true.

Thanks for the video, i didn't know any of that ^^. It was interesting and well made.

Great urban planning/architecture video. The point of creating a clear distinction between public and private space (8:55) is a very key point that most towns and cities ignore. Netherlands does something similar with bicycles and vehicles by creating clearly defined spaces and pathways. Having defined spaces for purpose that look good makes that space feel so much more livable and usable.

My late grandfather would have loved this! He was a prominent town planner in the UK and former President of the UK Town Planning Institute. He had a vision for post-war urban regeneration which picked up on many of the points you talk about yet before the erection & failure of the social housing concrete tower blocks of the 60s and 70s as he sadly died in 1949. But I get the feeling he would have loved your video.

I enjoy living in Le Plessis Robinson. The best city environment I have ever been. Thanks for sharing this video 👍

Thanks for sharing this very interesting and beautiful report. And of course... Take care of yourself.

What an amazing video and you’re telling such a meaningful and beautiful story! Thanks so much! 👏

I hope that more cities adopt traditional architecture, it really has a warm charm to it.

Thank you for this very informative video. I have been living in Le Plessis-Robinson for 4 years and I can assure you that the quality of life is incomparable. We have the feeling of living in a small village. We have the advantages of a big city without the inconveniences. The city also focuses on a very important family policy, with quality schools, nurseries, and activities that make you want to stay. Obviously, this tranquility comes at a price and real estate prices are skyrocketing. But it is a real pleasure to live here.

Beautiful! Definitely having nature around for me is the most important in a city! For me wherever i live i need to be able to see trees when looking out of the window!

These transformations are a tremendous accomplishment that many urban cities in the West will follow! Make cities beautiful again!!!

I live in Columbus, Ohio, and I can't really see being able to do this kind of redevelopment here without tearing out half of every neighborhood and rebuilding it from the ground up. Residential areas are so large and badly segregated from commercial ones that walking is totally impractical most of the time. It'd take a hell of a long time and a ton of money to try and affect this change, even if it would certainly be nice to do so.

I got goosebumps. I have been thinking and feeling this way for years, knowing that a human being is a noble being that deserves to be dignified and live in conditions that are worthy of him. And that beauty is not a luxury but the truth of who we are, the nature of our being. Thus, to have that beauty be reflected in our thinking, being, and the world around us, that is only natural... And now, seeing this and hearing your commentary at the end... I am in awe. I knew I wasn't just imagining things... And I am so happy that this is already a reality in this world. Because I know I will see it manifested in my own home town and country and other places in the world. People deserve to see beauty reflected outwards because this beauty has always been housed within us and it's not a luxury, only the truth of who we all are. Thank you!

Brilliant idea. Living in beauty gives us hope and inspiration.

We need more of this. 💗

Glad you highlighted the issue of too much space dedicated to poorly defined semi-private land use. It does appear the clear distinction between pubic and private space is a key feature of successful places. People don't tend to venture into poorly defined places, and stick to the clear public space.

Great video! A tangible example that give us hope that, with will and planning, many more successful cases might bloom.

So inspiring! Thank you for your work!

I’ve been to le plessis robinsson and it’s beautiful and so clean and so green A really nice place

It's a fantastic project! We should have more projects like this in other régions of France too (especially in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)! How can we help spread the word?

That’s absolutely stunning. I really thought that things like that are not possible, that they belong to the past. That it’s not possible to build new cities that would be beautiful. But, man, it’s real!! Just think of all the transformation we can do if we only want to

Amazing! Thank you for showing the way.

This expanded my mind so much, thank you!

Beauty and human dignity absolutely go hand in hand. Thank you for this-so glad I found your channel!

The vision of the Mayor and architects plus the tenacity over the years, makes this town a labor of love … many would benefit with the ultimate place to live, following suit to this amazing project.

Beauty and comford inspires contempt and satisfaction, which makes people want to keep their surroundings neat and tidy and take pride in their commuity.

Excellent video. Totally agree with all points made, especially about separating private and public spaces and the negative results that not doing this - litter, loitering - create.

I used to live close to this place, and young people from this city used to call all these buildings “Disney Land” when it was brand new, cuz it was so clean and unreal just like Disney Theme park

This is how it is in many cities on the outskirts of Paris, for example Marne la Vallée (Disneyland district) builds the new buildings in an old style (Haussmannian style), and these new buildings are visually new but so much more beautiful and detailed than traditional buildings, and with all modern comforts (air conditioning, central heating, insulation...).

The fact that there is a whole group dedicated to making cities beautiful and liable gives me hope.