Why Paris (France) Has Low-Storey Buildings
If you’ve ever visited the beautiful city of Paris in France, you will notice something quite different to city architecture in most English cities. Apart from a few tall structures (like the Eiffel Tower), there are no tall buildings.
Paris was purposely built this way, in order to ensure that everyone has nice views over the city. It also means the city is built on a grid system, so it’s easy for everyone to walk from one place to another (that’s why French people stay so slim!)
It also gives rise to mixed-use neighbourhoods. So unlike some English cities (where you have to drive on a motorway to reach an out-of-town supermarket to buy food), in Paris people simply pop outside their door, walk around the block, and buy fresh loaves from the boulangerie. Or cake from the patissierie!
These grid systems and buildings have been around for years, which is why the city is so beautiful to look at and walk around. It still has atmosphere – no boarded up shops or streets full of empty buildings or vape shops. Residents and shopkeepers live near each other, and everyone still knows each other by name, in each arrondissement (like London boroughs).
