Plans to convert the iconic Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris into a pedestrian-friendly public space have been announced by the capital's mayor Anne Hidalgo.
Revealed in an interview on Sunday with Le Journal du Dimanche, Hidalgo said that the makeover will transform the entire thoroughfare into "an extraordinary garden" by 2030.
Using a proposal drawn up by French studio PCA-Stream, this will be achieved by closing off half of the avenue's eight-lane highway to traffic and introducing pockets of greenery.
The aim is to improve air quality across the 1.9-kilometre-long road and make it a more sustainable and desirable public space.
Plans respond to tourism and pollution
Connecting the Arc de Triomphe with the Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Élysées is the most famous avenue in Paris. It was planned by André Le Nôtre in 1667 as an extension of the gardens at the Tuileries Palace, but is now one of the world's most famous shopping streets. Top image: the overhaul will transform the entire Champs-Élysées. Above: it will include planting green spaces around the Arc de Triomphe
In recent years, however, the district has become overrun by tourism and cars. According to PCA-Stream, an average of 3,000 vehicles pass through the artery every hour, resulting in nitrogen dioxide levels that are double the limit set by the World Health Organisation.
This has deterred many locals from visiting the area and prompted campaigns calling for its redesign.
The avenue "deserves t...