October 2017 — An expansive view of Paris stretches toward the Eiffel Tower and the La Défense business district beyond. The photograph reveals the city’s Haussmannian grid — a pattern of symmetrical boulevards and stone façades that define the French capital’s architectural identity. The Champ de Mars park forms a long green corridor leading to the tower, while the modern high-rises of La Défense rise in sharp contrast to the 19th-century architecture in the foreground. Taken in the late afternoon light, the scene highlights Paris’s urban planning legacy — a city that preserves its historic skyline even as it embraces modern commercial growth on its periphery. The Eiffel Tower, completed in 1889, remains a central anchor in the city’s layout and one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.