La Défense, Paris’s Business District, in Photos

West of central Paris, the historic axis continues into La Défense, a district planned around offices and a broad pedestrian esplanade. These photos follow that public space from the colored signals at its eastern end to the Grande Arche, then take a closer look at the buildings that rise around it. Watch how the district fits a trade-show hall, banks, office towers, and large pieces of public art onto the same stretch of ground.