A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway or wide road in a commercial district.
In Europe, boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls.
In North American usage, boulevards may be wide, multi-lane thoroughfares divided with only a central median.
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Etymology
The word boulevard is borrowed from French. In France, it originally meant the flat surface of a rampart, and later a promenade taking the place of a demolished fortification. It is a borrowing from the Dutch word bolwerk 'bulwark'.
Notable examples
Europe
Avebury Boulevard, Milton Keynes
Bradwell Common Boulevard, Milton Keynes
Conniburrow Boulevard, Milton Keynes
Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes
Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes
South America
Avenida 9 de Julio, Buenos Aires
Artigas Boulevard, Montevideo
Avenida Rio Branco, Rio de Janeiro
Avenida São João, São Paulo