How to (Quickly) Build a Cycling City - Paris
Provided by: Not Just Bikes|Published on: April 27, 2021
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Videos
Subjects: Geography, Engineering
Authors: Not Just Bikes
Region: Europe
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This video from Not Just Bikes shows how a campaign promise to eliminate 70,000 parking spaces in Paris prompted the mayor to transform the city's bicycle infrastructure.
- Students will learn that Paris purposefully changed its infrastructure very rapidly, which has had a positive effect on the city's traffic and air pollution problems.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The video contains labeled chapters or segments that make it easy to jump to a specific part of the video.
- The video does a good job of presenting a balanced view of how Paris' fast transformation into a cycling city has been successful and how the city still has room for improvement.
Prerequisites
- This video begins with an advertisement.
- The video mentions some of Paris's more famous roads and streets, but students who aren't familiar with the city might need some background information to understand the size and scale of Paris.
- The video does not directly address the environmental effects of reducing motor vehicles in Paris.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Social studies and civics classes can research how Mayor Anne Hidalgo's campaign promises led to her election and the implementation of traffic reforms within the city.
- Science classes can use this SubjectToClimate lesson plan to help students understand the environmental impact of different modes of transportation.
- Design classes can watch this other Not Just Bikes video about urban planning in Amsterdam and use it to compare and contrast the ways that Paris and Amsterdam are building better cycling infrastructure.
- Other resources on this topic include this lesson on green transportation and this Vox video on congestion pricing in high-traffic zones.
This video highlights how cycling is growing gradually and replacing cars in Paris. A major key player is the government's will to make this happen. Reducing car transportation, in turn, draws down CO2 levels and makes the environment healthy and free from air pollution and traffic congestion. This resource is suitable and recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
