The beautiful avenue in the French capital city&rsquos 8th arrondissement, Champs-Élysées, is lined with high fashion stores, cafés, and theatres. At any given time of day, it is packed full of people and vehicles. But this could soon change.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has approved a $300 million project that will turn the mile-long promenade into an extraordinary garden.
Space for vehicles will be reduced by half, and hundreds of trees will be planted to improve the air quality of the area.
The avenue will be transformed to become pedestrian-friendly as larger sidewalks and a walkway that connects over 200 acres of green space, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Tuileries Garden, will be constructed.
Architect Philippe Chiambaretta and his agency PCA-Stream created the designs to turn Champs-Élysées into a more healthy, inviting and user-friendly public space. While conducting research, PCA-Stream found that the locals tend to avoid the area due to traffic, overtourism, and high pollution levels. The Champs-Élysées committee said that the avenue has lost its charm over the past 30 years. Since 2018, the committee has been campaigning for the redesign of the area.
The project is aimed at reducing carbon emissions and revitalising the space so that it stands true to its description of &lsquothe world&rsquos most beautiful avenue.&rsquo
At first, the Place de la Concorde Square, the largest public square in Paris, and located at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées, will be redeveloped and completed by 2024, just in time for the Summer Olympics in Paris. The rest of the green makeover will be finished by 2030.
Champs-Élysées was designed by King Louis XIV&rsquos gardener, André le Nôtre as an extension of the Tuileries Garden. The wide promenade was lined with rows of elm trees in the style of the French formal garden. In 1709, it was extended and renamed as Champs-Élysées. Named after &ldquoElysian Fields&rdquo from Greek mythology, it refers to a mythical Greek paradise.