[BBC] Every year, Paris tries new, 'revolutionary' methods to stop men from peeing outside.
In 2018, red flower pots equipped with urinals, allowed men to unzip and relieve themselves right on the streets of the French capital’s iconic Ile St Louis. The following year, another short-lived urinal project tried to make fertiliser out of men’s pee.
Of course, public urination is a problem in most big cities, and public restrooms are an essential service, especially for people experiencing homelessness. Yet many street urinators in Paris are offenders of opportunity rather than necessity. The city has even come up with a name for it: 'Les pipis sauvages', or 'wild pee'.
In her first column for the BBC, Daphnée Denis investigates why Paris is so prone to public urination: is it a historical, sociological or psychological issue? What is the real reason behind this habit?
| Expressing their inner wild man, marking territory — because even if there is an official pissoire, these men will go nearby instead of in. |
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