The French state wants to turn the most important avenue in Paris into a lush, diverse garden brimming with life.
The Champs Elysees in Paris inherits their name from a mythical place in Classical Greece. As suggested by the Greek pantheon, this space would correspond to the afterlife, only accessible to the gods, demigods, and those who were true heroes in life. Alluding to this pristine place, the main artery of the French capital was named.
Running along a 1.9-kilometer-long path to the Arc de Triomphe, this passageway recognized worldwide for the beauty of its architecture will become a pedestrian-focused ecological site. The French government plans to launch a project valued at around 250 million euros, to fill this public space with a wide variety of plants.
Revitalize the Parisian arteries
The project will be directed by the national architect Philippe Chiambaretta who, in collaboration with his PCA-STREAM workshop, designed the plans that this new plan will follow to revitalize the Parisian arteries. Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of the city, is working closely with the local Committee of the Champs Elysees. In a recent statement, she announced the important changes that are coming in the avenue:
“MYTHICAL AVENUE HAS LOST ITS SPLENDOR IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. IT HAS BEEN PROGRESSIVELY ABANDONED BY THE PARISIANS AND HAS SUFFERED A SERIES OF CRISIS: THE YELLOW VESTS, THE STRIKES, HEALTH, AND THE ECONOMIC CRISIS ”.From the social mobilizations that arose in 2019 with the yellow vests, there were great effects on the architecture of the city. Particularly on the main avenues, such as the Champs Elysees. The windows of the most expensive brands in the world lost their glamor in the face of the protesters, just as much of the luxury of the corridor lost its brilliance. This, according to local authorities, is about to change.
Guest of great historical events
The Champs Elysées has been the host and witness of great historical events: cheers for the World Cup, parades in honor of the Bastille, powerful social mobilizations. It is not surprising that only 5% of the passers-by who visit the avenue are Parisians.
In order to preserve the city's beauty and attract more international tourism, as Hidalgo announced to the media, the renovation project will transform the avenue into almost two kilometers of "an extraordinary garden."
Today, this artery in Paris has eight lanes for cars. The renovation aims to reduce this space to give priority to people who travel on foot or by bicycle, to leave half of the available space to green areas, full of different trees. In this way, it is intended to reduce visual, sound, and air pollution in the space, to generate a more inclusive and ecological space.
Photo Credit: Google Images
