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 original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns. In modern usage the space allows people to walk for recreational purposes; esplanades are often on sea fronts, and allow walking whatever the state of the tide, without having to walk on the beach. 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'.
In North America, esplanade has another meaning, being also a median (strip of raised land) 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.[1]
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.[2] 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 rambla, but more widely referred to as paseo marítimo ("esplanade"), paseo ("promenade") or explanada ("esplanade") in the Hispanic world.
Contents
Examples[edit]
Coastal[edit]
Asia[edit]
India[edit]
- The Central Business District in Kolkata is famously known as Esplanade
- Kamarajar Salai, Chennai in Chennai, India
- Marine Drive, Kochi in Kochi, India
- Marine Drive in Mumbai
- Bandstand Promenade in Mumbai
- Promenade Beach in Pondicherry
Malaysia[edit]
- Karpal Singh Drive in George Town, Penang
- Gurney Drive in Tanjung Tokong, Penang
- Padang Kota Lama in George Town, Penang
- Rejang Esplanade in Sibu, Sarawak
Philippines[edit]
- Baywalk, Manila
- Dipolog Boulevard, Dipolog City
- Rizal Boulevard Promenade, Dumaguete City
Others[edit]
- Tsim Sha Tsui East, Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong
- Corniche Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- The Esplanade, Singapore
- Galle Face Green, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Breakwater Corniche or Al-Kasr in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Doha Corniche, Doha, Qatar
America and Caribbean[edit]
United States[edit]
- The Charles River Esplanade, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- The Esplanade, Redondo Beach, California, United States
- The Esplanade, Rio Del Mar, California, United States
- Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, United States
Others[edit]
- Calçadão de Copacabana and Calçadão de Ipanema (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- Malecón, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Malecón, Havana, Cuba
Europe[edit]
- La Promenade des Anglais, in Nice, France
- Usedom Beach Promenade, Western Pomerania, Germany (Europe’s longest beach promenade)[3]
- Riga, Esplanade, Latvia
- Świnoujście, by the Baltic Sea, Poland
- Trzebież, by the Szczecin Lagoon, Poland
- The Esplanade, in Weymouth, England
- The Promenade, at Portobello, in Edinburgh, Scotland
- The Esplanade, in Bangor, Dalriada
- Esplanadi, in Helsinki, Finland
Others[edit]
- 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
- The Scarborough Esplanade, Scarborough, Tobago
- Rambla de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
Inland[edit]
- Esplanade of the European Parliament, in Brussels, Belgium
- Ministries Esplanade, in Brasília, Brazil
- Thames Embankment, in London, England
- Brühl's Terrace, Dresden, Germany
- The Danube Promenade in Budapest, Hungary
- Esplanade, in Calcutta, India
- Sibu Esplanade, Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
- 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
Image gallery[edit]
-
Usedom, Western Pomerania, Germany - longest beach promenade in Europe[3] (Ahlbeck here)
-
St Clair Beach and esplanade, Dunedin, New Zealand
-
Promenade at Rizal Boulevard in Dumaguete City, Philippines
-
The Galle Face Green esplanade, Colombo, Sri Lanka
-
Esplanade in the Olympic Park of Sochi, Russia
-
Battery Park, New York City, United States
_view_to_W,Krakow,Poland.jpg)
.jpg)
See also[edit]
- Boardwalk
- Foreshoreway
- Oceanway
- Processional walkway
- Similar areas inland: Boulevard, mall
References[edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Esplanades. |
- ^ Adopt-An-Esplanade - City of Houston, [1], May 2013
- ^ Tony Russell, Cycling England, January 2010
- ^ a b Europe’s longest beach promenade from Bansin to Świnoujście (12 km)
