04/29/2026
Cities often debate removing roadways in favor of pedestrian walkways, but example after example prove that more walkable cities have many benefits. Forever Paris reflects on the changes along the Seine that began a few decades ago.
Before the transformation, the quais de Seine in central Paris were mostly used as car roads and highways. From the 1960s onwards, planners built expressways—especially the Voie Georges-Pompidou—right along the riverbanks to help cars cross the city quickly. These roads carried tens of thousands of vehicles every day, but they also separated the river from the people who lived in and visited Paris.
Starting in the 1990s and early 2000s, a big change began. Politicians, urban planners, and many residents wanted to bring the riverbanks back to people instead of cars. They saw the Seine as a cultural and historical heart of the city that should be enjoyed on foot, by bike, and as a place for leisure. The idea began with Sunday car-free days along the quays and events like Paris Plages, where part of the riverbank was turned into a summer park with sand, games, and seating.
In the early 2010s, the City of Paris took bigger steps. Sections of the riverside expressways on both the left and right banks were closed to cars and transformed into pedestrian zones, gardens, walkways, and cycle paths. These stretches were joined together and named the Parc Rives-de-Seine, giving Parisians nearly 4.5 hectares of green, car-free space right beside the river.
The transformation was controversial at times, with some debates over traffic and pollution, but it is now a defining feature of modern Paris. What used to be fast car routes are now places where people walk, relax, picnic, enjoy views over the Seine, and experience the city from its historic waterfront
