The freeway, one of the most famous shopping streets in the world, currently offers eight traffic lanes as it runs between the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde.
Under the new plans drawn up by architect Philippe Chiambaretta and his agency, PCA-STREAM, vehicle traffic will be halved, while pedestrians can enjoy wider sidewalks and more greenery in what the agency calls ‘planted’ living rooms. “
The lane becomes greener and more pedestrian friendly.
PCA-STROOM
The transformation is aimed at attracting more visitors to an area that, before pandemics, began to lose its luxurious luster, especially after sometimes violent protests by so-called “gilet jaune” anti-government protesters.
The Champs-Élysées Committee, a local association working to promote and develop the area, celebrated the news in a statement on Sunday following the announcement of Hidalgo in an interview with the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.
“The mythical avenue has lost its splendor over the past thirty years,” said the committee, which began working on proposals to renovate the area three years ago.
“It was gradually abandoned by Parisians and suffered a number of crises: the yellow gilets, strikes, the health and economic crisis,” the committee said in the statement.
Place de la Concorde will also be rejuvenated.
PCA-STROOM
Paris reinvents
According to PCA-STREAM, more than two-thirds of the pedestrian traffic comes from tourists, and Parisians make up only 5% of the total traffic.
In the statement, the committee said it was celebrating the decision, which shows that the town hall ‘wants to make the total renovation of the Champs-Élysées one of the most striking urban projects of this decade.’
Hidalgo said the first phase of the project will involve the refurbishment of the Place de la Concorde, which will take place before Paris hosts the 2024 Summer Olympics, and the rest of the avenue will be completed after the Games.
A spokesman for the city hall in Paris told CNN that further details of the plan would be announced next week.
Paris authorities are also working on a broader revival plan ahead of the 2024 Olympics.
Abandoned, unused and obsolete spaces will get a second life as new eateries, hotels, museums and recreation points.
Some projects were hand-picked under the urban renewal campaign “Reinventing Paris” in the city, which was first launched in 2014. These include a major clearance of the Seine River and the greening of the Eiffel Tower.