The Socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, could not have chosen a better date to inaugurate the highly symbolic "urban forest" at Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, the square in front of the capital's city hall. Saturday, June 21, was forecast to be one of the first heat waves of the summer, the start of a 10-day hot spell. France was beginning to swelter. In the streets of the capital, people sought shade. As a backdrop to a speech extolling the virtues of planting trees in cities – these natural air conditioners that should help cope with more frequent heat waves – this could not have been more appropriate.

This collection of large trees and undergrowth planted in the heart of Paris is one of four unique projects Hidalgo promised at the start of her re-election campaign in 2019. The idea came from landscape architect Michel Desvigne and ecologist Marine Linglart, who developed a charter on the subject for city services. In addition to Hôtel de Ville, three other "major emblematic sites" were initially considered: Opéra Garnier, the north square of Gare de Lyon and the right bank of the Seine. In the end, these three projects were dropped and replaced by others, while the Hôtel de Ville project was revised. Excavating the first level of the parking lot proved far too costly. The trees and shrubs would be planted along the edges of the square and in the fountains, while the central area would remain a gathering space.

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