Bas Smets to redesign Notre Dame surroundings with new square and park

The City of Paris has announced a major redevelopment of the area around Notre Dame Cathedral, following a competition won by a team led by Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets. The project, costing €50 million and fully funded by the municipality, will create a new pedestrian square as large as the cathedral's footprint, a 400-square-meter riverside park with 131 new trees, and a 3,000-square-meter underground visitor center. The rear area, currently divided by fences and hedges, will become a second square connecting to the Seine. A cooling irrigation system will periodically spray a thin layer of water (about 5 millimeters) to combat urban heat. Construction is set to begin in 2024. The team includes GRAU for architecture and Neufville-Gayet for heritage. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted on June 27, 2022, that the project will "better reveal" the cathedral while respecting its history. The existing underground parking will be converted into reception spaces and a new entrance to the archaeological crypt.