Esplanade

Esplanade
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 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 '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 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 avenues where cars are permitted.
A similar term with the same meaning in the eastern coastal region of Spain is alameda Alameda de Hercules, Seville, o rambla, such as 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, also known as the Central Business District in Kolkata
Kamarajar Salai, Chennai in Chennai
Marine Drive, Kochi in Kochi
Marine Drive in Mumbai
Bandstand Promenade in Mumbai
Promenade Beach in Pondicherry
Malaysia
Esplanade, George Town, Penang
Gurney Drive, George Town, Penang
Karpal Singh Drive, George Town, Penang
Philippines
Baywalk, Manila
Dipolog Boulevard, Dipolog
Iloilo River Esplanade, Iloilo City
Paseo del Mar, Zamboanga City
United Arab Emirates
Al Seef
Corniche (Abu Dhabi)
Deira Corniche
Fujairah Corniche
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
The Esplanade, Singapore
Galle Face Green, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Doha Corniche, Doha, Qatar
The Bund, Shanghai, China
Jehangir Kothari Parade, Pakistan
Jeddah Corniche, Saudi Arabia
Americas and Caribbean
United States
The Charles River Esplanade, Boston, Massachusetts
The Eastern Promenade, Portland, Maine
The Esplanade, Redondo Beach, California
Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California
Eastbank Esplanade, Portland, Oregon
The East River Greenway, New York, New York
Others
Calçadão de Copacabana and Calçadão de Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Malecón, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Malecón, Havana, Cuba
Rambla de Montevideo, Uruguay
Terrasse Dufferin, Quebec City, Canada
Europe
Barcola, Trieste, Italy
Esplanaden, Copenhagen, Denmark
La Promenade des Anglais, in Nice, France
Esplanade de La Defense, France
Paseo Marítimo de Pontevedra, in Pontevedra, Spain
Usedom Beach Promenade, Western Pomerania, Germany (Europe's longest beach promenade)
Świnoujście, by the Baltic Sea, Poland
Trzebież, by the Szczecin Lagoon, Poland
The Esplanade, in Weymouth, England
Esplanadi, in Helsinki, Finland
Valletta Waterfront, in Floriana, Malta
Spianada, in Corfu town, Greece
Others
St Clair Esplanade in Dunedin, 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, 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
See also
Boardwalk
Foreshoreway
Malecón
Oceanway
Processional walkway
Similar areas inland: Boulevard, mall
References
Types of streets
Waterfronts
Greenways