Explaining the reasons for Paris's continuous population decline

The Paris city government is considering implementing solutions to address the population decline in recent years.

AFP news agency reported that Paris officials held a meeting at the city hall on November 19 to discuss the situation of people leaving the city. The French capital Paris currently has 2.1 million people, down about 140,000 people compared to 2013, and is on track to lose about 10,000 people each year.

Faced with this situation, the Paris city council is considering a new urban development plan, with many options to improve the quality of life in the French capital. The plan, initiated by the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo - a member of the French Socialist Party - and her allies, includes tightening regulations on buying houses in Paris and renting them out for accommodation services.

Road in front of Eiffel Tower in Paris

French senator Ian Brossat, an ally of Ms Hidalgo, said Parisians needed more affordable and social housing if they wanted to keep residents in the city, adding that investment in low-income housing had only recently begun.

Meanwhile, opposition politician Rachida Dati, who is currently France's Minister of Culture, said the exodus of people from the capital was due to "unbearable" urbanization.

Experts say the main reason recently comes from the trend of wealthy people from abroad buying houses in Paris but rarely using them, only when planning to travel , along with the increasing wave of short-term rental services, typically through rental platforms such as Airbnb.

The Paris Urban Planning Agency (APUR) said in a recent report that the number of homes used as housing in the French capital continues to fall, despite the fact that more homes are being built. These reasons are leading to rising rents and a decrease in the number of new arrivals to Paris looking to rent.

In response, a draft plan put forward by the Paris city council would ban homes in certain areas from being rented out through services like Airbnb, including in tourist-friendly neighborhoods like Montmartre or the Marais. Mayor Hidalgo’s allies have also called for a tax increase on second homes with their names on them.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ly-giai-nguyen-nhan-khien-dan-so-paris-giam-lien-tuc-185241119193512445.htm