The mayor of Paris has announced an ambitious redevelopment of the Champs Elysees and surrounding public spaces. The first phase of the work, valued at 250 million euros, is expected to begin before the 2024 Summer Olympics, which the French capital will host.
Place de la Concorde and Champs Elysees
Photo: PCA-Stream
The Champs-Élysées Committee has been campaigning for a major redesign of the avenue and its surroundings since 2018. Under plans drawn up by architect Philippe Chiambaretta and his agency PCA-STREAM, vehicle traffic will be halved and pedestrians will enjoy wider sidewalks and more greenery in so-called "green lounges.
A giant garden in the heart of the city
Champs-Elysees
Photo: PCA-Stream
Since 2002, Paris authorities have seen an average annual decline of 3% in car traffic in the city. According to forecasts, this trend is expected to accelerate in the coming years, among other things as a result of changes being made to the city's public spaces. Simulations show that traffic on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées could already fit on a significantly reduced roadway cross section, freeing up space for pedestrian users. The aftermath of these changes is expected to include not only the transformation of the streets themselves, but also the redevelopment of underground parking lots and the Place de la Concorde, which is now dominated by cars. A pedestrian system will connect the now-separated public spaces of the Tuileries garden, the Champs-Élysées and the Esplanade des Invalides. This is also to be helped by changing the function of the Alexander III Bridge to entirely pedestrian and bicycle. This will create 115 hectares of green space in the center of Paris.
Preparing for climate change
Champs Elysees and Place de la Concorde
Photo: PCA-Stream
Biologically active spaces are to replace expensive-to-maintain and pollution-causing road infrastructure. Green oases, permeable surfaces, infiltration valleys will be created wherever possible, and sidewalk surfaces are to allow rainwater to flow. The construction of retention basins in the vicinity of Place de la Concorde is planned to allow rainwater to be stored and filtered. Already existing greenery, in turn, is to be naturalized.
Champs Elysees
Photo: PCA-Stream
Trees, which were previously pruned into geometric shapes, are to grow naturally from now on , and their root systems are also to be given more room to grow. Much attention has been paid to the creation of shaded areas, which has become an important parameter for designers of public spaces in Paris. This is intended not only to provide comfort for those using the city's public spaces, but also to offset the heat island effect.
Les Champs des possibles, by PCA-STREAM
