Parc aux Angéliques

Parc aux Angéliques in Bordeaux grew out of an unusual refusal: in 2002, landscape architect Michel Desvigne told city officials he would not draw a finished plan for this stretch of the Garonne's docklands. The guide follows his parcel-by-parcel method, buying and clearing one shed at a time while trees grew in behind the wrecking crews, and the freight rails and irregular tree bands still visible underfoot today. It also traces the park's name back to a rare wild plant that clings to only a handful of Atlantic river banks. Look down as you walk, and you can still read the site's working past in the paving.