App Reveals More of Paris's Treasures: Parks and Gardens

Katharine Gammon highlights CityGardens, a new app by Philippe Pujau and Eric Boisselier that puts Paris's gardens and parks on the map. The app, which just won the AppMyCity! Prize at the New Cities Summit, is designed to help residents and tourists find parks and gardens, both known and little known, in close proximity to them and provides other logistical information about the spaces.

"‘We hope to provide an opportunity for urban [sic] full advantage of this rich and misunderstood heritage,' says Pujau. ‘Paris has 440 parks and gardens, which works out to an average of five parks within 500 meters around each Parisian. In many of them you can find play areas for children, water points, WiFi hotspots and entertainment.' In addition, many parks have long and storied histories that reveal something about the context of the neighborhood, say the founders. The app would help spread that information."

Thanks to Akemi Leung