After months of protests and a petition signed by nearly 1500 people, paris has abandoned plans to construct new buildings around the Eiffel Tower at the expense of trees. Only a few months ago, Paris dealt with severe heat waves in the face of of which the city realized the need for more forest cover and greenery. A decision to save the trees was taken in May after protests and objections came in from the locals. The new construction project involved chopping down about 20 mature trees near the Eiffel Tower. It attracted widespread criticism by environmentalists in the city.
Campaigners were delighted to know that the plan had been dropped and that the trees are now safe. The first deputy mayor of Paris has said that the office is not giving into pressure, but it is simply removing some of the friction. It will still go forward with the relandscaping of the area. This relantscaping effort is part of a much larger plan to reorganize the space around the Eiffel Tower. It includes planting grass and shrubs around roads and public areas.
An area of 54 ha around the tourist attraction, which is crisscrossed by several roads. It will most likely be turned over to pedestrians now. Low impact transport reputation, such as bus and bike lanes will also be given space.
