Paris' Mayor Anne Hidalgo has green-lit a major makeover of the French capital's famed boulevard, Champs-Élysées, which runs between the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde.
The large-scale renovation project will transform the iconic area into a greener and more pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare, in an effort to restore the luster lost by the area over recent years. One of the world's most famous retail avenues, its upscale image has been tarnished following the sometimes-violent protests staged there by the anti-government "gilet jaune" (yellow vest movement), according to CNN.
Philippe Chiambaretta's architectural firm, PCA-STREAM, has drawn up plans that will reduce the street's vehicle traffic (currently eight lanes) by half, and introduce wider sidewalks surrounded by more greenery, including what the architect termed "planted living rooms".
According to PCA-STREAM, over two-thirds of the area's foot traffic typically comes from tourists, while just five percent can be attributed to the movements of Parisians. The aim will be to attract back local visitors, as well as beautify the boulevard for out-of-towners.
The Champs-Élysées committee, a local group that endeavors to develop and promote the area, began working on proposals to revivify the district three years ago. In a January 10 statement that was featured in the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, the committee said: "The mythical avenue has lost its splendor over the last 30 years. It has been progressively abandoned by Parisians and has suffered a number of crises: the gilets jaunes, strikes, the health and economic crisis."
In its statement, the committee applauded Hidalgo's decision, calling it evidence that Paris Town Hall, "seems to want to make the total renovation of the Champs-Élysées one of the standout urban projects of this decade."
The mayor disclosed that the project's first phase will tackle the Place de la Concorde's renovation, to be completed before Paris hosts the 2024 Summer Olympic games. The rest of the thoroughfare will be undertaken only have the games have concluded.
Paris authorities are also working on a plan for broader revitalization of the city ahead of the 2024 Olympics, borrowing somewhat from the city's "Reinventing Paris" urban renewal campaign, which was launched back in 2014. Such projects include a large-scale cleanup of the Seine river and the greening of the Eiffel Tower.
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