Makery

Paris wants to become THE city of makers

The Maker Faire robot bartends at the Hôtel de Ville for “Paris city of makers”. © Quentin Chevrier

On February 24, Paris outlined its plan to elevate the French capital into “a city of makers” on par with Barcelona and New York. Before an audience of 200 movers and shakers from the innovation sector and Parisian labs invited to the Hôtel de Ville, Jean-Louis Missika, deputy of economic development, and Antoinette Guhl, deputy of social innovation and the circular economy, announced the launch of several initiatives to boost the development of fablabs and other alternative spaces in the Paris region.

The two deputies presented a whole series of measures that aim to encourage practices inspired by the sharing economy, social innovation and upcycling.

Jean-Louis Missika, announces the main points of the “maker plan”. © Quentin Chevrier

“We want to put Paris on the world map of makers,” declared Missika. The plan aims to double the number of digital fabrication spaces, from about 20 to 40. Other measures include setting up a purchasing cooperative for fablabs, building local micro-factories, supporting small businesses to better cooperate with labs, and creating a “maker” MOOC for underprivileged individuals.

In order to give the plan more visibility, the city of Paris chose to partner with Maker Faire France. Hence, the event’s co-organizer took this opportunity to premiere projects that will be exhibited at its next Paris edition on April 30 – May 1. “The movement should not only be non-profit, but also supported by companies,” said Missika.

As another partner of the city, Techshop held open workshops for the general public in the lobby of the Hôtel de Ville. Carine Claude

The project will be reviewed by the Council of Paris in May, when the budget will also be revealed.