Promenade on the Allure od the Seas (7710182244).jpg

An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress's guns. In modern usage, the space allows the area to be paved as a pedestrian walk; esplanades are often on sea fronts and allow walking whatever the state of the tide, without having to walk on the beach.

History

In the 19th century, the razing of city fortifications and the relocation of port facilities made it possible in many cities to create promenade paths on the former fortresses and ramparts. The parts of the former fortifications, such as hills, viewpoints, ditches, waterways and lakes have now been included in these promenades, making them popular excursion destinations as well as the location of cultural institutions. The rapid development of artificial street lighting in the 19th century also enabled safe use in the evening. One example of this is Vienna's Ringstrasse.

Esplanades became popular in Victorian era, Victorian times, when it was fashionable to visit seaside resorts. A promenade, often abbreviated to '(the) prom', was an area where people – couples and families especially – would go to walk for a while in order to 'be seen' and be considered part of 'high society (group), society'. Beach promenades such as the Promenade de la Croisette in Cannes, the famous Promenade des Anglais on the Mediterranean coast in Nice or the Lungomare of Barcola in Trieste still play a central role in city life and in the real estate market.

In the United States, ''esplanade'' has another meaning, being also a Central reservation, median (strip of raised land) or berm dividing a roadway or boulevard. Sometimes they are just strips of grass, or some may have gardens and trees. Some roadway esplanades may be used as parks with a walking/jogging trail and benches.

''Esplanade'' and ''promenade'' are sometimes used interchangeably. The derivation of "promenade" indicates a place specifically intended for walking, though many modern promenades and esplanades also allow bicycles and other nonmotorized transport. Some esplanades also include large boulevards or Avenue (landscape), avenues where cars are permitted.

A similar term with the same meaning in the eastern coastal region of Spain is ''rambla'', such as La Rambla, Barcelona, La Rambla in Barcelona, but more widely used terms in the rest of the Hispanic world are ' ("esplanade"), ' ("promenade") or ' ("esplanade").

Examples

Asia

India

* Esplanade, Kolkata, Esplanade, also known as the Central Business District in Kolkata
* Marina Beach, Kamarajar Salai, Chennai in Chennai
* Marine Drive, Kochi in Kochi
* Marine Drive, Mumbai, Marine Drive in Mumbai
* Bandstand Promenade in Mumbai
* Promenade Beach in Pondicherry

Malaysia

* Esplanade, Penang, Esplanade, George Town, Penang, George Town, Penang
* Gurney Drive, George Town, Penang, George Town, Penang
* Karpal Singh Drive, George Town, Penang, George Town, Penang

Philippines

* Baywalk, Manila
* Dipolog Boulevard, Dipolog City
* Rizal Boulevard Promenade, Dumaguete City
* Iloilo River Esplanade, Iloilo City
* Bai Walk, Cotabato City
*Fort Pilar, Paseo del Mar, Zamboanga City
*Mandulog River Esplanade, Iligan, Iligan City

Others

* Tsim Sha Tsui East, Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong
* West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade , West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong
* Tel Aviv Promenade, Tel Aviv, Israel
* Corniche Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
* Esplanade, Singapore, The Esplanade, Singapore
* Galle Face Green, Colombo, Sri Lanka
* Breakwater (structure), Breakwater Corniche or Al-Kasr in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
* Doha Corniche, Doha, Qatar
* The Bund, Shanghai, China

Americas and Caribbean

United States

* The Camelback Esplanade, Phoenix, Arizona
* The Charles River Esplanade, Boston, Massachusetts
* The Eastern Promenade, Portland, Maine
* The Esplanade, Redondo Beach, California
* The Esplanade, Rio del Mar, California, Rio del Mar, California
* Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California
*Eastbank Esplanade, Portland, Oregon
*The East River Greenway, New York City, New York, New York (state), New York

Others

* Calçadão de Copacabana and Calçadão de Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
* Malecón, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
* Malecón, Havana, Cuba
* Rambla of Montevideo, Rambla de Montevideo, Uruguay
* Terrasse Dufferin, Quebec City, Canada
* Esplanade, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada

Europe

* Barcola, Trieste, Italy
* Esplanade, Redcar, England
* Esplanade, Exmouth, England
* Esplanade, Aberdeen, Scotland
* (The) Esplanade, Lerwick, Scotland
* Esplanaden, Copenhagen, Denmark
* Promenade des Anglais, La Promenade des Anglais, in Nice, France
* Esplanade de La Defense, France
* Paseo Marítimo de Pontevedra, in Pontevedra, Spain
* Usedom Beach Promenade, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Western Pomerania, Germany (Europe's longest beach promenade)Europe’s longest beach promenade from Bansin to Świnoujście
(12 km)
* Riga, Esplanade, Latvia
* Świnoujście, by the Baltic Sea, Poland
* Trzebież, by the Szczecin Lagoon, Poland
* Weymouth Beach, The Esplanade, in Weymouth, Dorset, Weymouth, England
* The Promenade, at Portobello, Edinburgh, Portobello, in Edinburgh, Scotland
* Esplanadi, in Helsinki, Finland
* Valletta Waterfront, in Floriana, Malta
* Spianada, in Corfu (city), Corfu town, Greece
* Salthill Promenade, in Galway, Ireland

Others

* Saint Clair, New Zealand, St Clair Esplanade in Dunedin, New Zealand
* Marine Parade, in Napier, New Zealand
* The Golden Mile, Durban, South Africa
* Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa

Inland

* Esplanade of the European Parliament, in Brussels, Belgium
* Ministries Esplanade, in Brasília, Brazil
* The Esplanade (Toronto), in Toronto, Canada
* Thames Embankment, in London, England
* Brühl's Terrace, Dresden, Germany
* The Danube Promenade in Budapest, Hungary
* Esplanade, Calcutta, Esplanade, in Calcutta, India
* Iloilo River Esplanade in Iloilo City, Philippines
* Błonia, Kraków, Poland
* L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., United States
* Charles River Reservation, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
* The Eastbank Esplanade, in Portland, Oregon, United States

Gallery

File:StrandDüne.JPG, Usedom, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Western Pomerania, Germany - longest beach promenade in Europe (Ahlbeck here)
File:Pärnu rannapromenaad 2014.jpg, Pärnu's beach promenade, Pärnu County, Estonia
File:Mumbai 03-2016 46 evening at Marine Drive.jpg, Marine Drive, Mumbai, India
File:St Clair Beach, Dunedin, New Zealand.jpg, St Clair Beach and esplanade, Dunedin, New Zealand
File:Beirut Corniche, Beirut, Lebanon.jpg, The Corniche, Beirut, Lebanon
File:Dumaguete Boulevard.jpg, Promenade at Rizal Boulevard in Dumaguete City, Philippines
File:Sliema Strandpromenade, Malta.jpg, Sliema promenade, Malta
File:Colombo - Galle Face.jpg, The Galle Face Green esplanade, Colombo, Sri Lanka
File:Gurney Drive Penang.jpg, Gurney Drive, Penang, Malaysia
File:Krakow Blonia (Meadow) view to W,Krakow,Poland.jpg, Błonia, Kraków, Poland
File:Blackpool promenade - DSC07204.JPG, Blackpool's regenerated Promenade, England
File:Esplanade Row East.jpg, Esplanade, Kolkata, Esplanade Row East, Kolkata, India
File:Iloilo River Esplanade.JPG, Iloilo River Esplanade, Iloilo City, Philippines - the longest linear park in the Philippines
File:Charles River Esplanade - IMG 3777.jpg, Charles River Esplanade, Boston Esplanade, Boston, United States
File:Promenade in Adler.jpg, Esplanade in Sochi Olympic Park, the Olympic Park of Sochi, Russia

See also

* Boardwalk (entertainment district), Boardwalk
* Foreshoreway
* Malecón
* Oceanway
* Processional walkway
* Similar areas inland: Boulevard, Mall (disambiguation)#Places, mall

References

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Types of streets
Waterfronts
Greenways