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1.

The first medieval town wall, built


around 1200.
2. The second medieval wall from
the end of the fourteenth century,
which under Louis XIV made way
for the promenades which would
become the grands boulevards of
today.
3. The tariff wall of 1780,
demolished in the 1860s and
replaced by the boulevards
extrieurs.
4. The ring of fortifications of the
Paris.
1840s, later in 1860 to become the
municipal and tariff border. Today
roughly the site of the boulevards
Apart from some of the churches there were
priphriques just outside
practically
the
no monumental accents. The old,
present municipal border.
spontaneously evolving network of narrow
and twisty streets, most of which ran parallel
or away from the bank of the river, was
already inadequate. Over- population and the
absence of open public spaces added to the
unhealthy character of the town and must

Under Haussmann the centre proper consisted, roughly speaking, of the


le de la Cit and the area around Les Halles and the Hotel de Ville.
Round this core there was an inner zone, bordered on the north side by
the grand boulevards.
Then came an intermediate zone extending to the tariff wall and the
outer ring of boulevards; most of this area had been built up during the
first half of the nineteenth century.
The adjoining outer zone was defined by the fortifications erected in the
1840s. In 1860 the city and the tariff boundary were moved out to this
defence ring.
The central zone was heavily developed
vacant land for housing construction, industrial establishments etc. was
to be found above all in the outer zone.
As a result of the wretched conditions in the urban core and its lack of
good communications with the surrounding districts, the functional city
centre was beginning to shift westwards.

Buildings, politics, and


aesthetics:
Haussmann envisioned a
city focused visually and
functionally on major
institutions like RR
stations; the opera
house, the town hall, the
cathedral, etc; major
architectural units linked
by great avenues; also
monuments like Notre
Dame isolated and
turned into museum
pieces

Above: le de la Cit, 1754.


Below: after Haussmanns
regulations. 1. Sainte
Chapelle. 2. Notre-Dame.
3. Htel-Dieu. 4. Palais de
Justice. 5. Place Dauphine.
6. Tribunal de Commerce.
7. Caserne de la Cit (now
Prfecture de Police). The
letters designate bridges.
[From Lameyre (1958)]

During a time of industrial change and cultural advancement, Paris


became the new home for many, overcrowding the ancient districts
and spreading disease. The city, which had been untouched since
the Middle Ages, was in dire need of reflecting the new modern ways
and putting an end to the spreading medical epidemics. The tight
confines of Medieval Paris were hindering the citys potential for
growth and desire to transform into a well-organized urban center.
Napoleon III set about bringing order and structure to the chaotic,
cramped city and putting an end to its' identity crisis
Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann, chosen by Napoleon III to lead
the project, created new roads, public parks, public monuments, as
well as installing new sewers and changing the architectural faade
of the city. With the aid of the public, Modernist Napoleon III set out
to undertake one of the largest urban transformations since the
burning of London in 1666.
In 1853, Haussman had outlined and began construction on a series
of basic projects that had been planned since the decision had been
made to modernize the city. The projects included creating a northsouth axis in the city, developing the quarters around the Opra, as
well as the annexation of the suburbs to make them outer
arrondissements, the sewer system, and the water supply
The next step in Haussmanns plan for the new Paris was to divide
the city into arrondissements, or districts. The decision to divide Paris
into these new districts came about in 1853, at the same time as the

To accompany the new streets and provide visual unity to the


entire city, Haussmann and his team of architects constructed a
unifying architectural faade that changed the shape of Paris. As
well as coating the city with a unifying style, they also
constructed new public buildings, such as LOpra , as well as
many other buildings

The thick lines represent Haussmann boulevard

Haussmann molded the city into


a geometric grid, with new
streets running east and west,
north and south, dividing
Medieval Paris into new sections.
His plan brought symmetry to the
city

The widening of the streets would


relieve the cramped city and allow
for the people to get around more
easily. It also allowed for an
increase in height of the buildings,
providing more room for the people
of Paris to live and thrive in.
Running alongside the new
roads,were rows of chestnut trees,
which allowed Haussmann to
maintain the geometric and
symmetrical aesthetic that he had
created with the new roads. And

he first map is of Pre-Haussmann Paris

A map of Haussmanns
streets confusing
impression. However, a
closer examination does
reveal, if not any
superordinate plan, at
least a guiding idea,
namely to facilitate
communications within
the central parts of Paris
and between these areas
and the peripheral
districts of the city.
Streets included in Haussmanns
improvement and regularization
programme. White sections of street
were built before 1854, solid black
sections before 1870 and dotted
sections after the fall of the Second
Empire, but still largely in accordance
with Haussmanns intentions. The
hatched area indicates the

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