JCDecaux has cultivated the aesthetics of its street furniture since 1964. By creating the advertising bus shelter 50 years ago, Jean-Claude Decaux invented street furniture that succeeded in meeting several needs: it is a functional product for local communities and an advertising showcase at the very heart of the city for advertisers.
In the early 1970s, the Group expanded its range of street furniture to meet the needs of communities and residents alike. At the time, the Design Department created models inspired by Jean-Claude Decaux. MUPIs (city information panels) were created in 1972 and the first panels went up in 1973.
From the 1980s onwards, local communities wanted designer street furniture tailored to their image and history. The Group seized this opportunity to offer a range designed to capture each city's unique identity. To this end, JCDecaux worked with locally renowned architects who coordinated with the Group's Design Department to create street furniture that would meet JCDecaux's stringent quality requirements as well as the aesthetic expectations of the local communities.
Always on the lookout for new talent, JCDecaux later called on Patrick Jouin to design the Vélib bicycle docking stations Senior billboard panels and Paris MUPIs in 2005, then automatic public toilets in 2009.