This note, written in February, 2005, before the successful bid by London for the 2012 Olympic Games, is a reminder of the principles guiding the organisation of the Paris bid and describes the benefits the project could bring to the Bois de Boulogne and the Porte d’Auteuil district.
At Porte d’Auteuil, the proposal is to link the building of the new dome with the creation of an entrance to the Forest (Bois), which would act as a cover for the interchange system. These developments would be supplemented by a huge reconstruction of the landscape of the square at the Porte d’Auteuil, where the extended tramline terminates. The tramline, a lasting benefit for local inhabitants after the Games, would also improve access to large facilities in the area during the event itself. In the Bois de Boulogne, the legacy of the Olympics would result in over 11 hectares of natural land becoming open to the public or being reclaimed, and 50 million euros being spent on enhancing the Forest and giving it a better public transport service through the tramline. Within the budgetary framework, in addition to the development of the Porte d’Auteuil entrance to the Forest, other proposals include, in particular, the development of the lakesides (3.5 ha reclaimed from the road system), a major landscape redevelopment between the Longchamp crossroads, the Grande Cascade and the Seine (1.5 ha reclaimed), the non-renewal of the Archery -Tir à l’Arc- lease (opening 1.5 hectares to the public), and the redefining of the boundaries of the present lease of the Tir au Pigeons area (opening a minimum of 3 hectares to the public).