Lately, there has been a growing amount of cases show- ing how greening strategies and regeneration of old in- dustrial structures can have a negative impact on cities and lead to gentrification. One case is the development of the High Line in New York, USA, where the proje- ct’s aim was to incorporate urban greening to boost the city’s image and competitiveness. However, it led to in- creasing housing and rent prices simultaneously and a change in the composition of the citizens - outsourcing the middle-class (Gulsrud, Steiner 2019).
This thesis seeks to investigate the repurpose of a 32 km long post-industrial circular railway, La Petite Ceintu- re in the City of Paris, moving through in between the Haussmann facades. The Municipality of Paris has already great plans for the repurpose, but these have been under preparation since 2010 and none of them are fulfilling and clear enough in their ambitions and aim with the development. More, as a result of being left abandoned the stretch is today influenced by a new occurred wild biodiversity, introducing new species of plants and animals that have not been seen in the City of Paris earlier (The City of Paris 2019).
The thesis works towards the creation of a design ap- proach for La Petite Ceinture. Through the literature re- view, the key themes regarding urban voids, gentrifica- tion, ecology, and green gentrification is understood. By investigating the history and the plans the City of Paris has for the future it is pursued to understand the mu- nicipal development processes. Moreover, there is done a wide range of empirical analysis to comprehend the chosen site located in the 12th arrondissement.
Throughout the thesis, the importance of character and history and inclusion of the community are underli- ned. Together with being contextual responsive, these components make it possible to develop an appropriate design solution for the chosen stretch. As a conclusion, the design approach unfolds as a suggestion and acts as a discussion for what can be done. Besides concluding and reflecting upon what is done a future recommenda- tion is enclosed.

Keywords: Gentrification, The City of Paris, green gen- trification, ecology, urban voids, La Petite Ceinture