The project was kept top secret, and work began right away. "Faux Paris" or "Sham Paris" was set in the northern suburbs of Paris, near the commuter town of Maisons-Laffitte, some 15 miles from the city center. The location was chosen to be as similar as possible to Paris yet still be able to be rebuilt after destruction by fire or flood. The new city was to have been filled with large apartment blocks, shopping malls, and offices, with a population of nearly one million people. It was to have been fully functional and were even expected to host an Olympic game in 2024. However, funding ran out before it was completed. The plans were made public for the first time in 2014 when a French architect named Jean-Claude Arnault bought them at auction. He had no idea that they belonged to the government. Arnauld has said that he believes that the project was done as a political statement during times of economic uncertainty. There had been discussions about creating a new capital city, but none of these projects came to fruition. This means that Faux Paris is now forever lost. However, the project wasn't finished there's evidence that parts of it may still exist. A book called "Inventaire sommaire des monuments et sites de la capitale française" was published in 2018.