In Paris, experts are sketching a greener, more pedestrianized Place de la Concorde

Place de la Concorde, the largest in the capital, is a tourist hotspot for the Luxor obelisk which sits in its center and its rectilinear perspectives overlooking the Arc de Triomphe or the Greek facades of the Palace Bourbon and the Madeleine church.

Anne Hidalgo, who has made reducing the space for cars and adapting the city to global warming priorities of her action, had already expressed her wish to make this place, which is now entirely mineral, more green.

The committee, chaired by the former Minister of Culture Jean-Jacques Aillagon, suggests in this sense revegetating part of the square, as was the case during its creation in the 18th century by the royal architect Ange- Jacques Gabriel.

This operation would make it cooler in summer and create continuity between the gardens of the Champs-Élysées and those of the Tuileries, underline the experts.

They recommend planting as many trees as possible and selecting species that consume little water, without hiding the views of the adjacent streets.

Another major axis of the committee's proposals: facilitating pedestrian circulation by taking into account the space dedicated to automobiles.

“The circulation of automobiles as well as that of public transport and bicycles will be refocused to give priority to pedestrians,” they write, proposing to “ensure the coexistence of uses with a separation of flows” of cars, bicycles and pedestrians. .

The report calls for removing the hoppers, these access ramps to the underground roads which cross the square and obstruct pedestrian traffic.

They also suggest creating “seats”, “amenities” and “shading devices in summer”.

“Today, Place de la Concorde is a place that does not allow any form of rest,” lamented Jean-Jacques Aillagon.

The recommendations will have to be taken up in full by the architectural and landscape firms responsible for the project, said Anne Hidalgo.

Five candidates will be pre-selected at the end of September and the selected firm will be chosen in January 2025, said the mayor, hoping, without making a firm commitment, that the work could begin in 2026, the last year of her mandate.