Christophe Najdovski: North Macedonia’s Capital Must Learn from Paris’s Green Revolution

After serving as a deputy mayor in charge of transportation and mobility in his previous term, he is now a deputy mayor in charge of greenery and biodiversity.

He is one of the 35 deputy mayors in Paris, who like government ministers, each have their own departments.

"We want to carry out a true urban revolution. One in every two parking spots will be repurposed for [planting] trees, lawns, expanded sidewalk or a cycling lane," he told BIRN.

"We will remove 100 hectares of asphalt from the streets and replace them with trees or lawns. We will transform 100 streets into green oases," Najdovski adds.

These "radical measures", as Najdovski calls them, which include transforming the famous Champs-Élysées into a pedestrian zone, are not the only representation of the city's green policies.

Every other decision made on the city, however unrelated at first glance, is also weighed for its potential impact on traffic and the environment.

The news of Paris's green transformation has garnered a lot of attention in Skopje - mostly because North Macedonia's capital has been developing in the exact opposite direction.

Despite having a "green agenda" of its own, it is mostly busy adding more high-rise buildings, more parking space to service them, and more asphalt at the expense of greenery - all catering to the increased use of cars.

Christophe Najdovski and his colleagues visiting a Paris venue where the asphalt has been recently replaced by greenery. Photo: Christophe Najdovski's Twitter profile

Skopje needs to change direction fast

Najdovski who follows what's going on in Skopje, says this has to change - and fast.

"It is not easy to carry out the same policies that we here [in...