French President Nicolas Sarkozy addresses a news conference in Vienna May 30, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    PARIS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy has held discussions with a group of ten architects and planners who are charged with overseeing the design of a modern project for the development of the Paris metropolitan area, the French media reported Thursday.

    The ten architects, who are backed by teams of planners, engineers, sociologists and even philosophers, have been challenged by the head of state to come up with new ideas for the city's boundaries, transport, administration and also examine the environmental impact, the French presidential palace said in a statement on Wednesday.

    The architects are all agents of the ten teams drawn from different countries, selected for the international consultation on research and development of the Sarkozy-inspired "Great Leap toa Modern Paris area," which has been placed under the tutelage of the culture and communication ministry.

    Addressing the architects, President Sarkozy sought to underscore his commitment to architecture, and urged his visitors to come up with an "exceptional project" rapidly to spur the development of the French capital.

    France's largest metropolis, according to the head of state, should be developed on the basis of a "strong," "original" and "realistic" master plan with the aim of putting up a modern-day city.

    "The aim is to spawn a new city, like Baron Haussmann did in his day," Henri Guaino, one of Sarkozy's aide told Le Monde newspaper, referring to the famed architect Baron Haussmann who is largely credited with today's Paris setting.

    Haussmann transformed Paris in the 1850s and 60s, sifting through cramped medieval districts to create long, straight, tree-lined avenues and incorporating several surrounding suburbs into the city.

    The current project is expected to come to a close in early 2009 with engagement of the public and an exhibition organized at the City of Architecture and Heritage in Paris, according to the statement.

    The president also expressed hope that the various projects involved in the design would be "sufficiently differentiated" taking into account the needs of the population "in the long term, developing a sustainable development strategy that are in line with the specific characteristics of each territory."

    The work of architects and planners is embodied in two areas, with the first leading to the establishment of "sustainable twenty-first century metropolis." The second, according to the statement, will involve the implementation of general recommendations to formulate a prospective diagnosis for the Paris area to delimit the "relevant borders" and to establish a "new model of governance."

    Under the current system, Paris and the web of smaller towns that surround it are run by separate bodies even though millions of commuters live on one side of the city's boundary and work on the other, something that has complicated the formulation of an effective transport policy among other matters.

    According to the head of state, French Culture and Communication Minister Christine Albanel, France's Secretary of State in charge of developing the capital region Christian Blanc as well as Environment Minister Jean Louis Borloo will oversee the project.