"Islands of freshness" are on the way to Paris, according to a recently-unveiled plan by mayor Anne Hidalgo. 

The environmentally-aggressive mayor is aiming to have 50 percent of the city's land area taken up by permeable surfaces and planted areas, Citylab reports, and so, she is turning spaces around some of the city's most cherishes sites and monuments into mini-forests. A pine grove will come to a swatch of concrete in front of city hall, for example, while parking lots near Garnier's opera house will give way to a cherry orchard. 

The plan comes as Hidalgo prevails over legal challenges launched against her environmental makeovers along the Seine, where cars are limited, soon to be replaced with grasses and shrubs. The city's notorious boulevard périphérique is being reformatted, as well, with a lane of traffic taken away to plant trees. 

Will the changes turn Paris into a more painterly version of itself? 

Feargus O'Sullivan of Citylab thinks so. He writes: "Given how charming the designs appear, this seems unlikely to be controversial, but it does suggest a more rustic, quasi-natural approach to greenery than has previously been the rule in Paris."