Haussmann's Architectural Paris: Planning Factors
To complete Napoleon III’s goal of turning Paris from its medieval self to one of the most modern cities the world had seen at that time, Haussmann had to integrate far reaching urban planning strategies. Haussmann offered Paris an elaborate plan of entry points, traffic reorganization, and city networking.
To complete Napoleon III’s goal of turning Paris from its medieval self to one of the most modern cities the world had seen at that time, Haussmann had to integrate far reaching urban planning strategies. Haussmann offered Paris an elaborate plan of entry points, traffic reorganization, and city networking.
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| Photo from www.thearthistoryarchive.com |
From the on-set, Napoleon III and Haussmann envisioned the ‘New Paris’ to incorporate a Geometric grid that would have streets run from East/West & North/South, which was completed in the early 1860s. One of the biggest problems the urban planners faced with the first phase of construction of the new street system was the existing road arrangement of the city. Ultimately, there was far too much respect for the ancient monuments in place. It was elected upon not to have the full system realized, thus, offering a balance between old and new.
The citizens saw great benefits with the widening of the city’s roads as it led to less overcrowding which resulted in disease, and also improved the speed and efficiency of traffic throughout the city. The transformation of many narrow & winding roads of medieval Paris to straight & wide boulevards of ’new’ facilitated the very goal of modern efficiency that it was sought to create. Every street was arranged for a reason, as streets led to the city center, and monuments were placed at the crossroads to showcase grandeur throughout. The next phase in the planning of Paris was the division of the city into Quarters and 26 districts. Such division was based largely on one’s economic status as discussed in the economic factors section.
Haussmann believed that one of the most crucial initiatives of this ‘new modern city’ was to have it, and the city’s inhabitants, to be in a state of cleanliness. Thus, an intricate new sewer and water system was designed to truly renovate the city to a modern level. With help from the chief engineer, Eugene Belgrand, the construction of the sewer system allowed Paris to handle large amounts of waste in a cleanly manner as it was poured in the downstream Seine. Today, many marvel at the incredible work Haussmann’s planning and execution produced, and has since proved to be an inspiration that led to the revitalizations of many other preexisting cities.
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