Iconic, the story of Porte Maillot is marked by the celebrations of its eras.
Its recent redesign by the Lille-based landscape architects of Empreinte pays tribute to a rediscovered Grand Axis, offering an uninterrupted view from La Défense’s Grande Arche to the Arc de Triomphe, with Porte Maillot serving as a pivotal meeting point. On this historic axis, it bridges the city of Paris with its new monument, the Bois de Boulogne. Yet, it has not always been so.

In the past, Porte Maillot epitomized the age of the automobile, with its roundabout installed following the construction of the périphérique in 1973. It also celebrated the convergence of flows with a monument dedicated to international congresses and hosted visions for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games within a planned extension of the Palais des Congrès—an option ultimately abandoned.

In this quarter of the 21st century, Maillot more broadly symbolizes the transformation of Paris’s gateways. It embodies a strategy that, from La Chapelle to Brancion, opens new doors of perception: replacing cars and excess with an ecological and tranquil vision of a metropolis where, at last, we turn to the woods.