A project to transform the Champs-Élysées into ‘an extraordinary garden’ has been approved by the mayor of Paris. The works, costed at €250m (nearly £223m), include halving vehicle space, pedestrianising roads and planting a load more trees.
Although some elements will be completed by the 2024 Olympics, which Paris will host, a target of 2030 has been set for the redevelopment to be complete.
Motivation for the reinvigoration of the iconic avenue, named after the mythological Elysian Fields, comes from the fact that Parisians themselves have fallen out of love with the area, making up just 5% of pedestrian traffic.
While we don’t yet know how this will affect the Tour de France‘s final stage procession, with a reduction in the width of the road potentially posing a threat to the current setup, it can only be a good thing reducing noise and air pollution and increasing green space.
The mockups, done by architects PCA-Stream, show four lanes for cars down the road surrounded by a wealth of pedestrian areas and trees, which should still be enough room to accommodate both the Tour and its spectators.
What’s more, the busy Étoile junction surrounding the Arc de Triomph is to be turned into a plaza to allow for tourists and Parisians alike to appreciate the Arc more peacefully.
The Champs-Élysées committee welcomed the news, saying: ‘The legendary avenue has lost its splendour during the last 30 years. It has been progressively abandoned by Parisians and has been hit by several successive crises: the gilet jaunes, strikes, health and economic.’