'The World's Most Beautiful Avenue' Getting A Green Makeover

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo approved a new plan to revitalize the Champs Élysées ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

1 minute read

January 21, 2021, 6:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Champs-Elysees

Dimitri Destugues / Champs-Elysees

A century and a half after Baron Haussmann, at the behest of Napoleon III, overhauled the city of Paris with wide boulevards and expansive gardens in a vast reorganization that aimed to modernize the city and prevent civil unrest, city leaders are once again transforming its most famous avenue, the Champs-Élysées, hoping to revitalize what has become, for many Parisians, a lackluster corridor of luxury shops and car dealerships.

A plan proposed by the Champs-Élysées Committee, a group of local community and business leaders, calls for a redevelopment that is "ecological, desirable and inclusive" ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, writes Kim Willsher for The Guardian. Committee president Jean-Noël Reinhardt argues that despite its globally famous reputation as "the world's most beautiful avenue," today's Champs-Élysées is "looking worn out." Philippe Chiambaretta, an architect with the firm that designed the new plan, cites the Champs-Élysées as symbolic of urban problems around the world including "pollution, the place of the car, tourism and consumerism." The Committee's plan calls for reducing the space allocated for vehicles by half, building additional pedestrian zones, and installing more parks and greenery to reduce air pollution and enhance the streetscape. The proposal has been approved by the city's mayor as part of a concerted effort to "transform the city" before the 2024 Olympics and lay the groundwork for long-term projects.

Sunday, January 10, 2021 in The Guardian

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

5 seconds ago - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

1 hour ago - The Daily Yonder

Waffle House restaurant in rural open area with large yellow and black sign and several cars parked in front.

Starting in 2026, You Can Charge Your EV at Waffle House

The 24-hour chain infamous for brawls and, to a lesser extent, waffles plans to install fast-chargers at many of its locations.

2 hours ago - Jalopnik