Paris, the city of revolutions, of the Impressionists, the World’s Fairs and the Olympics, of Haussmann’s boulevards, of the Bois de Boulogne, the metro, and the Seine. Paris, also the densely built-up city with so little greenery per inhabitant. Heat stress is a problem there like nowhere else.

Under the influence of mayor Hidalgo, a green revolution is under way that is as rapid as it is exhilarating: roundabouts are turning into urban forests, the Périphérique is becoming a parkway, and traffic is disappearing in favour of pedestrians in hundreds of streets. Dense strips of planting are changing the city’s appearance and even the areas around Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Champs Élysées are undergoing a green metamorphosis. The Seine is again becoming the lifeline it once was.

This issue captures the changes wrought by fifty projects and provides portraits of the designers and ecologists who are contributing to this operation – all with love for the city.

From Paris with love.