Promenade Plantée

12th Arrondissement, Paris, France

Jacques Vergely and Philippe Mathieux

Constructed:

Rail road construction: 1859

Promenade renovation: 1988

The Promenade Plantée is a greenbelt stretching near 6km through the heart of Paris, from La

Bastille to the Viaduc des Arts. It is built on a a rail road line which was abandoned in 1969 in

favor of newer infrastructure. For nearly twenty years it was left unused until the regeneration

project was considered in the early '80's, particularly as the zone became prominent given the

construction of the Opera de la Bastille.

This is the first of its kind in urban regeneration projects where a garden is built at the height

of a viaduct and is the inspiration for High Line Park (constructed in 2009) in New York. The

former rails can still be seen along parts of the path where wood planks exist and planters

now stand.

Formally the site of drug dealing and prostitution, this has now become a place for family

outings, workers and tourists on lunchbreaks as well as joggers.

Rather than kill the memory of it's formal industrial use, the form has been applied to a

different function. The arcs which formally served a structural purpose now house small

businesses.