Paris to plant 170,000 new trees and turn key spots into urban forests

Local authorities in the Paris say they will plant 170,000 new trees in the city and expand its parks and gardens by 30 hectares, in bid to fight climate change and improve quality of life in the capital.
Deputy Mayor Christophe Najdovski, who is in charge of the city's green politics, called the plan an "urban revolution".
"There will be parks developed as part of all major urban projects to come," he told French daily Le Parisien, in an interview where he revealed details of the new project.
Paris already contains some 500,000 trees in total, split between its woods, parks and cemeteries, but the city wants to widen its green spaces "to adapt to climate change and improve quality of life Parisians," Najdovski said in a tweet.
Pour nous adapter au changement climatique et améliorer le cadre de vie des Parisiennes et des Parisiens, nous poursuivons la végétalisation de Paris, avec la plantation de 170.000 arbres et la création de 30 ha de parcs et jardins ! ??
cc @C_Najdovski https://t.co/EGP3P2b5MY
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) October 21, 2020
The project will include:
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Five new ‘urban forests’ that will turn central spots into green spaces (Hôtel de Ville, Gare de Lyon, place de la Bourse, place de Catalogne and rue Curial).
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100 ‘oasis streets’ with plant-covered walls in order to cool streets down during heatwaves. These oases will be located near schools and in areas lacking green spaces.
-
The creation of a ‘green promenade’ along the Canal de l’Ourcq and the Canal Saint Martin.
-
Make the boulevards around Stalingrad and the place de la Bastille greener.

Parisians rest in the park outside of Palace Royal in Paris. Photo: AFP
Since Anne Hidalgo was elected for the first time in 2014, the Socialist Party mayor has striven to make the French capital more environment friendly, by expanding green areas and bike lanes, and improving the public city bike system.
She was reelected earlier in 2020 on a platform of continuing this work, in partnership with the Green party.
"Turning Paris into a green city is a necessary answer to climate imbalance, to the biodiversity crisis, and it's also a way to improve our living environment," Hidalgo said in a letter seen by Le Parisien.
"Nature makes the city stronger, more resilient, more pleasant and more welcoming," she said.
➡️100 ha debitumés;
➡️Une forêt circulaire sur le périph;
➡️100 rues oasis;
➡️Des ramblas vertes entre Bastille et Stalingrad.
Pour une ville forte, +agréable et fraîche l'été, la végétalisation sera le cœur d'une révolution urbaine à Paris. @Anne_Hidalgo https://t.co/xZIljkMKt5
— Christophe Najdovski (@C_Najdovski) October 21, 2020
There is no set end-date for the project, but the mayor has vowed to make turning the city greener a "priority axis" for her mandate, which runs until 2026.
Hidalgo’s objective is to turn 40 percent of the capital's spaces into green areas by 2040. However, that rests on her being reelected more then once between here and then.
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Deputy Mayor Christophe Najdovski, who is in charge of the city's green politics, called the plan an "urban revolution".
"There will be parks developed as part of all major urban projects to come," he told French daily Le Parisien, in an interview where he revealed details of the new project.
Paris already contains some 500,000 trees in total, split between its woods, parks and cemeteries, but the city wants to widen its green spaces "to adapt to climate change and improve quality of life Parisians," Najdovski said in a tweet.
Pour nous adapter au changement climatique et améliorer le cadre de vie des Parisiennes et des Parisiens, nous poursuivons la végétalisation de Paris, avec la plantation de 170.000 arbres et la création de 30 ha de parcs et jardins ! ??
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) October 21, 2020
cc @C_Najdovski https://t.co/EGP3P2b5MY
The project will include:
- Five new ‘urban forests’ that will turn central spots into green spaces (Hôtel de Ville, Gare de Lyon, place de la Bourse, place de Catalogne and rue Curial).
- 100 ‘oasis streets’ with plant-covered walls in order to cool streets down during heatwaves. These oases will be located near schools and in areas lacking green spaces.
- The creation of a ‘green promenade’ along the Canal de l’Ourcq and the Canal Saint Martin.
- Make the boulevards around Stalingrad and the place de la Bastille greener.
Parisians rest in the park outside of Palace Royal in Paris. Photo: AFP
Since Anne Hidalgo was elected for the first time in 2014, the Socialist Party mayor has striven to make the French capital more environment friendly, by expanding green areas and bike lanes, and improving the public city bike system.
She was reelected earlier in 2020 on a platform of continuing this work, in partnership with the Green party.
"Turning Paris into a green city is a necessary answer to climate imbalance, to the biodiversity crisis, and it's also a way to improve our living environment," Hidalgo said in a letter seen by Le Parisien.
"Nature makes the city stronger, more resilient, more pleasant and more welcoming," she said.
➡️100 ha debitumés;
— Christophe Najdovski (@C_Najdovski) October 21, 2020
➡️Une forêt circulaire sur le périph;
➡️100 rues oasis;
➡️Des ramblas vertes entre Bastille et Stalingrad.
Pour une ville forte, +agréable et fraîche l'été, la végétalisation sera le cœur d'une révolution urbaine à Paris. @Anne_Hidalgo https://t.co/xZIljkMKt5
There is no set end-date for the project, but the mayor has vowed to make turning the city greener a "priority axis" for her mandate, which runs until 2026.
Hidalgo’s objective is to turn 40 percent of the capital's spaces into green areas by 2040. However, that rests on her being reelected more then once between here and then.
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