The mayor of Paris is moving forward with the plan to give the Champs-Élysées a $ 305 million green makeover

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Paris – Mayor Anne Hidalgo has confirmed that ambitious plans to transform the Champs Elysees in Paris, the iconic avenue in the heart of the French capital, are still on the table. His initiative will allow to see the avenue with less lanes for vehicles, more space for pedestrians and much more vegetation.

Often dubbed “the most beautiful avenue in the world,” the Champs Elysées has spent three decades without a major overhaul, and many Parisians believe it looks tired and far less sophisticated than it used to be.

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The impression of an artist on the redesigned Arc de Triomphe, at the end of the emblematic Avenue Champs-Élysées in Paris, prepared by the architects PCA-Stream commissioned by the mayor of Paris.

PCA-Stream


Once home to prime car showrooms and trendy homes, the avenue is now full of expensive cafes, large chain stores and many fast food restaurants. Locals complain about noise and pollution from relentless traffic, as the eight-lane, 1.2-mile avenue remains a major artery for the city. Even the gardens at the end, near Concordia Square, look underused and unwelcoming.

The Committee of Local Business Leaders of the Champs-Élysées has been pushing for a renewal for years. In 2018, the Committee commissioned PCA-Stream architects to propose plans for the avenue and the surrounding area, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Plaza de la Concordia, at each end. Hidalgo agreed to include the plans in his re-election manifesto last year.

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The redesigned Champs Elysees extends (top right) from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, as PCA-Stream architects envisioned.

PCA-Stream


He confirmed that planning for the coming years still had a change in the face of the avenue in an extensive interview with the French newspaper, Sunday newspaper, Sunday. The Committee responded quickly, welcoming the news.

In a statement, the committee noted that the avenue “had lost its splendor for the past 30 years … It has been gradually abandoned by Parisians and has suffered several crises: the yellow vest [demonstrations], strikes, pandemic, economic crisis, etc. “


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The budget for the total project is $ 305 million, but the dramatic change will not happen immediately. Hidalgo said the renovation of the Place de la Concorde will continue in the coming years, but the change of image of the Champs Elysees will have to wait until 2025.

This is partly due to Paris having to complete the ambitious program already underway to prepare the city to host the 2024 Olympics.

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An artist’s impression of PCA-Stream architects shows the plan to redo the central avenue of the Champs Elysées in Paris as a green space suitable for pedestrians, with much less traffic than the current eight-lane layout.

PCA-Stream


While these plans will be reduced due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the city is already renovating, rebuilding and restructuring not only its sports facilities, but also its roads and transportation systems, and its links with the outskirts of La Défense. the west and Saint-Denis to the north, which will be the headquarters of all the administrative operations of the Games.

“We will redo the Plaza de la Concordia before the Olympic Games, and then the entire length of the avenue; it will be [another] an extraordinary garden, ”Hidalgo told the newspaper over the weekend.

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