Coulée Verte

     CouleeVerte           

This is the Coulée Verte ("Green Belt," formally the Coulée verte René-Dumont), also known as the Promenade Plantée, a pedestrian parkway constructed along the former right-of-way of train tracks connecting the Bastille to the eastern suburbs of Paris.The parkway runs from the Opéra Bastille to the eastern city limit, ending up only a short distance from the Bois de Vincennes. Most of it is entirely pedestrian, although the eastern segment also includes a bike path.

This photo shows the western segment of the parkway, which is elevated well above ground level (like the railway that it replaced), shielding it from traffic noise. You arelooking west. Beneath this park way the arches supporting the viaduct have been filled in with the shops of skilled craftspeople to form the Viaduc des Arts. As the parkway moves east, the ground rises to meet it around the Jardin de Reuilly,a large park; from there on, the parkway is mostly below ground, in an open trench covered with plants and flowers, or in tunnels. This is a very pleasant place for a long walk in nice weather.

This parkway, built in 1988, was the inspiration for the somewhat shorter Highline in Manhattan.

Photographed on June 20, 2000.