Pedestrians reclaim Paris’s iconic River Seine Quayside

Until recently, the Seine Quayside in Paris was a busy road connecting the centre of Paris to the western suburbs. Now, the local government has transformed the 1.5 mile area into a pedestrian haven for locals and tourists to enjoy with terraces, artificial beaches, children’s playgrounds and venues for cultural and musical events.

The City hall of Paris have developed a policy to open up the Seine riverside to pedestrians  for several years, but the latest Berges de Seine initiative represents the largest and most recent effort to give space back to the public.

In an interview with the BBC Xavier Janc, Head of Seine river affairs at City Hall, states that improving air quality is a key factor in pedestrianizing new parts of the city centre.

The last time cars were able to drive down the Berge Rive Gauche was at the end of January 2013 and since then the city has redeveloped the area which opened up to the public over the summer.

For more information about the regeneration project please click here.