Arrondissements of Paris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country |  France |
| Region | Île-de-France |
| Department | Paris |
| Cantons | 20 |
| Communes | 1 |
| Prefecture | Paris |
| Area ¹ | |
• Total | 105 km2 (41 sq mi) |
| Population (2009) | |
• Total | 2,234,105 |
| • Density | 21,300/km2 (55,100/sq mi) |
| ¹ French Land Registry data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km², as well as the estuaries of rivers. | |
TheCity of Paris is divided into twentyarrondissements municipaux, administrative districts, referred to asarrondissements (French:[aʁɔ̃dismɑ̃]ⓘ).[1] These are not to be confused with departmentalarrondissements, which subdivide the larger Frenchdepartments.
The number of the arrondissement is indicated by the last two digits in most Parisianpostal codes, 75001 up to 75020. In addition to their number, each arrondissement has a name, often for a local monument. For example, the5th arrondissement is also called "Panthéon" in reference to theeponymous building. The first four arrondissements have a shared administration, calledParis Centre.
The twenty arrondissements (French: "rounding") are arranged in the form of aclockwisespiral, often likened to asnail shell,[2] starting from the middle of the city, with the first on theRight Bank (north bank) of theSeine.
In French, notably on street signs, the number is often given in Roman numerals. For example, theEiffel Tower belongs to theVIIe arrondissement, whileGare de l'Est is in theXe arrondissement. In daily speech, people use theordinal number corresponding to the arrondissement, e.g. "Elle habite dans le sixième", "She lives in the 6th (arrondissement)".[citation needed]
Due tosuburbanization, the population of Paris has gradually shifted outward, with only two arrondissements still growing.
Uniquely among French cities, Paris is both a municipality (commune) and adepartment (département). Under the PLM Law (Loi PLM) of 1982, which redefined the governance of Paris, Lyon, and Marseille, hence the PLMacronym, there are both a city council called theCouncil of Paris, and 20 arrondissement councils in Paris. The PLM Law set limits to the prerogatives of the mayor of Paris, who has to deal with the powers granted to the prefect of police on security issues.
The 20arrondissement councils (conseils d'arrondissement) are similar in operation to a municipal council (conseil municipal), but with very few powers.[3] Its members are elected at municipal elections in the same way as in municipalities with more than 3,500 inhabitants. Each arrondissement council is made up of 2/3 members, elected specifically as arrondissement councillors. Council of Paris members representing the arrondissement, also sitex officio on their local arrondissement council.[3]
For example, the council of the19th arrondissement has 42 members. 28 areconseillers d'arrondissement who only sit on the arrondissement council. 14 areconseillers de Paris who also sit on the city council. At its first meeting after the elections, each arrondissement council elects its mayor.[3]
Each arrondissement is subdivided administratively into fourquartiers. Paris thus has 80quartiers administratifs, each containing a police station. For a table giving the names of the eightyquartiers, seeQuarters of Paris.
| Coat of arms | Arrondissement (R forRight Bank, L forLeft Bank) | Name | Area (km2) | Population (2017 estimate) | Density (2017) (inhabitants per km2) | Peak of population | Mayor (2020–2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1st (Ier) R Administratively part ofParis Centre | Louvre | 5.59 km2 (2.16 sq mi) | 100,196 (Paris Centre) | 17,924 (Paris Center) | before 1861 |  Ariel Weil (PS) |
 | 2nd (IIe) R Administratively part ofParis Centre | Bourse | before 1861 | ||||
 | 3rd (IIIe) R Administratively part ofParis Centre | Temple | before 1861 | ||||
 | 4th (IVe) R Administratively part ofParis Centre | Hôtel-de-Ville | before 1861 | ||||
 | 5th (Ve) L | Panthéon | 2.541 km2 (0.981 sq mi) | 59,631 | 23,477 | 1911 | .jpg) Florence Berthout (DVD) |
 | 6th (VIe) L | Luxembourg | 2.154 km2 (0.832 sq mi) | 41,976 | 19,524 | 1911 |  Jean-Pierre Lecoq (LR) |
 | 7th (VIIe) L | Palais-Bourbon | 4.088 km2 (1.578 sq mi) | 52,193 | 12,761 | 1926 | .jpg) Rachida Dati (LR) |
 | 8th (VIIIe) R | Élysée | 3.881 km2 (1.498 sq mi) | 37,368 | 9,631 | 1891 |  Jeanne d'Hauteserre (LR) |
 | 9th (IXe) R | Opéra | 2.179 km2 (0.841 sq mi) | 60,071 | 27,556 | 1901 | Delphine Bürkli (DVD) |
 | 10th (Xe) R | Entrepôt | 2.892 km2 (1.117 sq mi) | 90,836 | 31,431 | 1881 | Alexandra Cordebard (PS) |
 | 11th (XIe) R | Popincourt | 3.666 km2 (1.415 sq mi) | 147,470 | 40,183 | 1911 |  François Vauglin (PS) |
 | 12th (XIIe) R | Reuilly | 16.324 km2 (6.303 sq mi)[a] 6.377 km2 (2.462 sq mi)[b] | 141,287 | 8,657[a] 21,729[b] | 1962 | Emmanuelle Pierre-Marie (EELV) |
 | 13th (XIIIe) L | Gobelins | 7.146 km2 (2.759 sq mi) | 183,399 | 25,650 | 2005[c] |  Jérôme Coumet (PS) |
.svg) | 14th (XIVe) L | Observatoire | 5.621 km2 (2.170 sq mi) | 136,941 | 24,280 | 1954 |  Carine Petit (Gt.s) |
.svg) | 15th (XVe) L | Vaugirard | 8.502 km2 (3.283 sq mi) | 235,178 | 27,733 | 1962 |  Philippe Goujon (LR) |
 | 16th (XVIe) R | Passy | 16.305 km2 (6.295 sq mi)[d] 7.846 km2 (3.029 sq mi)[e] | 149,500 | 9,169[d] 19,054[e] | 1962 | .jpg) Francis Szpiner (LR) |
 | 17th (XVIIe) R | Batignolles-Monceau | 5.669 km2 (2.189 sq mi) | 168,737 | 29,760 | 1954 |  Geoffroy Boulard (LR) |
 | 18th (XVIIIe) R | Butte-Montmartre | 6.005 km2 (2.319 sq mi) | 196,131 | 32,634 | 1931 |  Éric Lejoindre (PS) |
.svg) | 19th (XIXe) R | Buttes-Chaumont | 6.786 km2 (2.620 sq mi) | 188,066 | 27,697 | 2005[c] |  François Dagnaud (PS) |
 | 20th (XXe) R | Ménilmontant | 5.984 km2 (2.310 sq mi) | 191,800 | 32,052 | 1936 | Éric Pliez (DVG) |
On 11 October 1795, Paris was divided intotwelve arrondissements. They were numbered from west to east. The numbers 1–9 were on theRight Bank of theSeine. The numbers were 10–12 on theLeft Bank. Each arrondissement was subdivided into fourquartiers, which corresponded to the 48 original districts created in 1790.
In the late 1850s, EmperorNapoleon III and the Prefect of theSeine BaronHaussmann developed a plan to incorporate several of the surrounding communes into the Paris jurisdiction. In 1859, Parliament passed the necessary legislation, and the expansion took effect when the law was promulgated on 3 November 1859. City taxes were extended to the new neighborhoods in July 1860.[4]
The previous twelve arrondissements were done away with, andtwenty new arrondissements were created. In historical records, when it is necessary to distinguish between the two systems, the original arrondissements are indicated by adding the termancienne ("former" or "old"), for example,2ème ancienne or7ème anc.
Before the reorganization, non-married couples wholived together were said to have "married at the town hall of the 13th arrondissement" ("se marier à la mairie du 13e arrondissement"), as a jocular reference to there being no 13th. When Haussmann released his plan for the new boundaries and numbering system, residents ofPassy objected because it placed them in the new 13th arrondissement. The mayor of Passy, Jean-Frédéric Possoz, devised the numbering of the arrondissements in a spiral pattern, beginning on the Right Bank, which put Passy in the16th. This system turned the Louvre area, which contained theTuileries Palace and other imperial palaces, into the1st. The Gobelins area became the13th instead.[5]
In early 2016, mayorAnne Hidalgo proposed that the first four arrondissements should have their administrations merged. TheCouncil of Paris approved this in February 2016. The four have a combined population of about 100,000, with the1st,2nd,4th, and3rd arrondissements in that order being the four smallest in Paris. In August 2016, the matter was taken up in theNational Assembly, and approved in February 2017.[6][7]
In October 2018, in a postal referendum, the town hall of the 3rd arrondissement was chosen to house the new shared administration. The name "Paris Centre" was chosen for the sector. In June 2020, the reform was implemented, the day after the second round of the2020 Paris municipal election. The four arrondissements now share a mayor and a district council. The four arrondissements continue to exist, but are no longer used as administrative and electoral sectors.[8][9]
