We have rediscovered locality, and this has improved quality of life.” They didn't know their neighbours or the parks nearby. “Many people never visited shops close to their homes before because they were busy. When the pandemic shuttered city centres, he says, it showed how important social links are – but through a different prism.

Carlos Moreno, a scientific director and professor specialising in complex systems and innovation at University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, believes there “will never be” a return to city life as it was before the coronavirus struck. The way we communicate, travel, consume and socialise had been moulded by the pandemic restrictions. The impact on how dense cities like Paris function, and how people that live in them interact, has been undeniable. “It led me to criss-cross the small streets of my district more than usual and thus to discover magnificent places just a stone’s throw from my home.” “Unexpectedly, this experience strengthened the bonds I had with some people,” says Valentin Jedraszyk, a 25-year-old civil servant living in the south of Paris.

She’s not the only one who felt this way. I thought I would have a hard time living the lockdown, but I was perfectly at home, in a quiet place.” I even joined a citizens’ movement where people prepare food baskets for homeless people. “To get to know your neighbours, to maintain good links with shopkeepers, to favour local craftsmen and shops over large supermarkets. “I discovered it’s possible to feel like you're in a small village in Paris,” she says. But for Fraioli, the two-month lockdown that began on 17 March – confining her to a 1km radius of her home – gave her a nuanced, enriching view of her neighbourhood. That conveyor belt of choice came crashing to a halt with the coronavirus pandemic. “Paris is a city that is always on the move,” she says. But Fraioli began to recognise that living in the City of Light had certain disadvantages – particularly its frenetic, nonstop energy. The 29-year-old waitress, who grew up on the city’s outskirts but now lives in a studio in a historic central district, was dazzled by its infinite opportunity – from Monday-night jazz concerts to West African cuisine and capoeira classes. For a long time, Solène Fraioli says she “refused to admit” that Paris could be a stressful place.

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