Paris is the city associated with La Défense, Europe’s largest purpose-built business district.
La Défense lies immediately west of central Paris, mainly in the communes of Puteaux, Courbevoie, and Nanterre. It developed after the Second World War as a major office and commercial center, extending Paris’s business core beyond the traditional central districts.
The district is known for high-rise offices, public art, a large pedestrian esplanade, and the Grande Arche, completed in 1989. Much of the road traffic and transport infrastructure is separated from the elevated pedestrian platform, a characteristic feature of its planning.
La Défense is not an independent city or municipality. Its name refers to the business district and surrounding development, while Paris is the nearby capital city used in the question’s conventional identification.