FRANCE SQUARE IN YEREVAN

This project proposes a fundamental shift in central Yerevan’s urban structure by prioritizing people over cars and restoring the city’s core to pedestrians. Vehicular traffic is redirected into a system of underground tunnels, freeing the surface for walkable streets, safer crossings, and healthier public environments. The intervention creates a continuous pedestrian link stretching from the Cascade to France Square and Freedom Square, forming a seamless walkable corridor through some of Yerevan’s most significant cultural and civic spaces.

By relocating traffic below ground, the design removes surface-level conflicts that currently interrupt movement and diminish public life. The new tunnel system maintains essential mobility for the city while allowing the street level to function as a calm, accessible, and socially vibrant public realm. The freed space is transformed into new green zones and shaded sitting areas, providing much-needed relief in a dense district with limited tree cover. These expanded landscape areas support urban cooling, improve air quality, and align with growing public health priorities and climate-resilient planning practices in Armenia.

A new metro station is introduced between Yeritasardakan and Marshal Baghramyan, significantly improving transit access and reducing dependence on private vehicles. This addition strengthens public transportation coverage and helps distribute foot traffic more evenly across the central district. The project also includes a cableway hub that links the city center to northern hillside neighborhoods. Beyond solving topographical challenges, the cableway becomes an efficient and scenic mobility alternative, advancing Yerevan’s shift toward sustainable, multimodal transport.

Together, these interventions reimagine France Square as a dynamic urban node shaped by pedestrian movement, green infrastructure, and efficient public mobility. By combining underground circulation, expanded landscape zones, and improved transit connectivity, the project presents a forward-looking model for sustainable development in Yerevan – one that supports community life, environmental wellbeing, and a more walkable, resilient city.