@colemonkee Now that you made me think about it, it's true that the public space along the river could be a little more attractive...
I think something big is at stake now in la Défense. The new, recently appointed chief executive of the public body (
Epadesa) in charge of its development said something kind of provocative (in a great way) and hopeful in an interview lately. He said that by international and modern standards, la Défense should obviously be
downtown Paris already. Nothing less. And that the Parisians should be prouder of their modern downtown and of their cluster of skyscrapers there, just as any other city in the world is. Well, if that's his actual purpose, it's quite a noble one and he'll have to be ballsy and stubborn to impose his view, because some over here won't like it and will try to ruin him whatever it takes.
These towers for example. How comes the developer is still harassed by hostile appeals in courts, in the only purpose of making him waste his time and money and eventually give up? I don't think the handful of dwellers left in the Damiers buildings to be demolished could've made all that trouble on their own for so long. It's been for years by now. They've got to be manipulated and funded by some more infuential people over here, who'd do anything to leave la Défense just the way it's always been in retarded locals' backward minds. Just a suburb, something forever doomed to be second-rate compared to the historic core. Obviously, some people, whoever they are closely watch this project as a threat to their personal interests somehow. And they're causing some harm to the entire metro area. If la Défense can't really deliver like it's supposed to, the historic core itself will end up impoverished and falling into ruins.