Paris is testing scenic, open-air urinals to combat the scourge of misdirected public urination

Paris is experimenting with public urination

(Image credit: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images)

published 15 August 2018

Lots of cities, maybe all cities, have issues with public urination — well-traveled neighborhoods smell like stale pee, walls become tagged with a sort of organic vandalism, and there's always the risk of public exposure of private parts. Paris is aiming to solve at least two of those problems with a new open-air urinal-planter to provide men with a more sanitary and responsible — though not private — alternative to quaint streets and scenic bridges. Dubbed the "uritrottoir" — a combination of the French words for urine and sidewalk — the red public urinals collect the pee in straw that is supposed to be transfigured into compost, sans odor. Not all locals find this solution ideal, as this Washington Post report shows:

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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