Expansive, interdisciplinary thinking at the municipal level... in Paris

Denis Baupin, deputy mayor for the environment, spearheaded the creation of the city's bicycle-sharing program. (Pierre-Emmanuel Weck)

Apparently, Denis Baupin, Paris' Deputy Mayor for the Environment, is the person behind many of the mobility improvements there, from new trams to Velib. Now he is responsible for the city's response to climate change. See "A driving force to change Paris" from the International Herald-Tribune. From the article:

As the transportation chief of the French capital for seven years, Baupin, who has written a book called "All Cars, No Future," was the force behind the development of Paris's hugely successful bicycle-sharing program, Vélib'. He introduced a tramway, minibuses, rider subsidies, more bus lanes and faster bus speeds. He reduced auto speed limits to 30 kilometers an hour, or just under 19 miles an hour, from 50 kilometers an hour on 1,000 streets and closed many to cars altogether. In short, Baupin has changed the face of mobility in Paris, making it, by most accounts, easier for users of public transportation, pedestrians and bikers, and less accessible to car drivers.