Previous state
The Promenades in Reims (France), created in the eighteenth century on the moats of the city walls, connect the old city centre with the suburbs. Despite all the interruptions caused by infrastructure like railway lines and roads, the rich arboreal heritage of chestnut, maple, and plane trees have been a central element but also a challenge in the redevelopment project because a precise intervention was required to guarantee their maintenance and sustainability.
Aim of the intervention
The aim was to revitalise the Promenades as a blue and green axis of the city, to increase their appeal, and offer a new leisure space for residents. Without specific expectations about the nature of the project, the programme required reassessment of the existing elements and transformation of this emblematic place into a lively place that would be used by the people of Reims.
Description
The project unites the Upper and Lower Promenades by means of tree cover connecting the city’s neighbourhoods with new bike lanes, pedestrian walkways, and visual perspectives that link up with the centre and the railway station. The new urban forest has been planned with several clearings in the edges, and paths that facilitate orientation and shape the space. The project respects the heritage of the trees and monuments and, without changing their location, gives them new meaning. It also gives prominence to water with aquatic landmarks that modulate an experience of gradual intensity, ranging from the soothing to the spectacular.
Assessment
The redevelopment returns to the Promenades their original vocation by transforming them into a place for meeting, celebration, and festivities while also taking into account contemporary practices and expectations. Starting from preexisting installations, quality and coherence have been restored to a zone that was previously fragmented and infrequently visited. The project has achieved thoroughgoing transformation in both perception and use. The redeveloped eighteenth-century Promenades are an example of how historical elements can become contemporary spaces that are fully adapted to environmental and climate challenges without losing their singularity.
[Last update: 17/07/2025]
