, promenade. Havana. 1925 Forestier studied at the
École Polytechnique de Paris from 1880 to 1882. He also studied at the
École libre des sciences politiques, and at the
École forestière de Nancy. Forestier worked as a civil servant for the
City of Paris from 1887-1927. There, he worked on the
Bois de Vincennes (1889), the
Bois de Boulogne and the western sector of the Promenades de Paris (1898). He also worked on the Avenue de Breteuil (1898) and developed an arboretum at
Vincennes and the gardens of the
Champ-de-Mars below the
Eiffel Tower. Forestier also did design projects in the
French Protectorate of Morocco. Forestier also worked in Spain, setting up gardens in
Seville including the
Maria Luisa Park (1914) which showcased botanicals, French geometry and Latin and Islamic design and decoration. The park also includes an honorary statue of Forestier. In
Barcelona, Forestier designed the gardens of
Montjuic, including Laribel Park, the Miramar gardens, and the Greek Theatre Gardens. Elsewhere in Barcelona, he worked on Pedralbes Park (1916). Forestier introduced several
ornamental plants to
Catalonia, such as
rosewood. Throughout Barcelona, he worked closely with
Maria Rubió i Tudurí. Forestier also worked in private commissions, such as the
Palacio de Liria (1916) in
Madrid and the gardens of La Casa del Rey Moro in
Ronda. In 1923, he also made a plan for the improvement of
Buenos Aires and the seaside town of
Ostende, Buenos Aires. In 1925 he became Inspector of Gardens for the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and undertook projects in the Americas. In 1925, he moved to
Havana for five years to collaborate with architects and landscape designers, where he designed the gardens for the
El Capitolio and worked on the master plan of the city, aiming to create a harmonic balance between classical forms and the tropical landscape. He embraced and connected the city's road networks while accentuating prominent landmarks. He had great influence in Havana, although many of his ideas were cut short by the great depression in 1929. In 1927, Forestier began working with the city of
Lisbon on garden design and urban planning. Forestier's
Haussmanian tradition and tendencies towards monumentality were popular with cities looking to represent ideas of
nationalism in their design. Forestier developed an urban plan and road system articulating from the
Avenida da Liberdade. Although his plans were not implemented, his ideas influenced future urban planning in Lisbon. His last major project was the garden of the Bastide du Roy for the Princess of Polignac near Biot. The scholar Vincent Casals Costa argues that Forestier's practical model of urban design is that of a "city-park." It includes features such as the park as a framework within a monumental city which follows
Fredric Law Olmsted's avenues model, internal division within the city, and regional elements, and functionality. ==See also==