Environment: The Greening of Paris

Unlike U.S. cities, where the mayors hold sway, Paris is dominated by President of France. During the years De Gaulle was in power, for example, there was little change in skyline; le grand Charles liked the as it was. By contrast, Georges Pompidou wanted to update Paris—"Manhatanize" it, his critics said. For five years bulldozers growled in the streets as he ordered up one vast project after another. Some 150 high-rise buildings were either built or planned. One wide superhighway girdled the city; another autoroute slashed through its heart along the Right Bank of the River Seine.

But the towers defiled Paris'...