Urban Planning History

1. BARON GEORGES-EUGÈNE
HAUSSMANN
THE RENOVATION OF
PARIS
1

2. BARON GEORGES-EUGÈNE
HAUSSMANN
THE RENOVATION OF
PARIS
2

3. CONTENTS
1. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY AND PUBLIC LIFE
2. ORIGINS- EARLIER ATTEMPTS TO MODERNIZE THE CITY OF
PARIS
Overcrowding, disease, crime, and unrest in the center of the old Paris
History of the Renovation of Paris (1848–1852)
3. THE FIRST PHASE - Haussmann begins work – the Croisée de Paris
(1853–59)
Financing
4. THE SECOND PHASE – A NETWORK OF NEW BOULEVARDS (1859–
1867)
Paris doubles in size – the annexation of 1860
5. THE THIRD PHASE AND MOUNTING CRITICISM (1869–70)
The downfall of Haussmann (1870) and the completion of his work
(1927)
Green space – parks and gardens
Architecture: The architecture of Haussmann's Paris
Architecture: The Haussmann building
The sewage and utility systems underneath the streets of Haussmann's
Paris – the renovation of the city‘ infrastructure
6. LEGACY
7. REFERENCES 3

4. 1. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF PUBLIC
LIFE:
 Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann (1809-
1891), Prefect of Paris, Urbanist of the
Napoleon III's Paris.
 Member of the French Chamber of Deputies -
14 October 1877 – 27 October 1881,
Constituency Haute-Corse
 Member of the French Senate - In office
9 June 1857 – 4 September 1870, Monarch
Napoleon III
 Prefect of Seine - In office from 23 June 1853 –
5 January 1870 Monarch Napoleon III
 Preceded by Jean-Jacques Berger
 Succeeded by Henri Chevreau
 Born 27 March 1809, Paris French Empire
 Nationality: French
 Political party: Bonapartist
 Education : Lycée Condorcet
 Alma mater: Paris Conservatory
 Profession: Official, prefect 4

5. Earlier attempts to modernize the city
2. ORIGINS- EARLIER ATTEMPTS TO MODERNIZE
THE CITY OF PARIS
5

6. Earlier attempts to modernize the city
2. ORIGINS- EARLIER ATTEMPTS TO MODERNIZE
THE CITY OF PARIS
6

7. 2. ORIGINS & EARLIER
ATTEMPTS TO MODERNIZE
THE CITY
The urban problems of Paris had been
recognized in the 18th Century; by
Voltaire - François-Marie Arouet
complained about the markets
"established in narrow streets,
showing off their filthiness, spreading
infection and causing continuing
disorders.
" He wrote that the façade of the
Louvre was admirable, "but it was
hidden behind buildings worthy of the
Goths and Vandals."
7

8. 2. ORIGINS & EARLIER
ATTEMPTS TO MODERNIZE
THE CITY
Overcrowding, disease, crime, and
unrest in the center of the old
Paris
In the middle of the nineteenth
century, the center of Paris was
viewed as overcrowded, dark,
dangerous, and unhealthy.
In 1845, the French social reformer
Victor Considerant wrote: "Paris is
an immense workshop of
putrefaction, where misery,
pestilence and sickness work in
concert, where sunlight and air
rarely penetrate.
8

9. 2. ORIGINS & EARLIER ATTEMPTS TO MODERNIZE THE CITY
THE 18TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURAL THEORIST AND
HISTORIAN QUATREMERE DE QUINCY HAD PROPOSED THE
FF:
 Establishing or widening public squares in each of the neighbourhoods
 Expanding and developing the squares in front the Cathedral of Nôtre
Dame and the church of Saint Gervais, and building a wide street to
connect the Louvre with the Hôtel De Ville, the new city hall.
 Moreau, the architect in chief of Paris, suggested paving and developing
the embankments of the Seine, building monumental squares, clearing
the space around landmarks, and cutting new streets.
 In 1794, during the French revolution, a commission of artists drafted
an ambitious plan to build wide avenues, including a street in a straight
line from the Place De la Nation to the Louvre, avenue Victoria is today,
and squares with avenues radiating in different directions, largely
making use of land confiscated from the church during the revolution.
 BUT ALL OF THESE PROJECTS REMAINED ON
PAPER
9

10. HISTORY OF THE RENOVATION OF
PARIS
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte comes to
power, and the rebuilding of Paris begins
(1848–1852)
• between 1853 and 1870 a vast public
works program commissioned by
Emperor Napoléon III
• included the demolition of medieval
neighborhoods that were deemed
overcrowded and unhealthy by officials at
the time;
• the building of wide avenues; new parks
and squares; the annexation of the
suburbs surrounding Paris; and the
construction of new sewers, fountains
and aqueducts.
BARON HAUSSMANN AND
NAPOLEON III
MAKE OFFICIAL THE ANNEXATION
OF ELEVEN COMMUNES AROUND
PARIS TO THE CITY. THE
ANNEXATION INCREASED THE SIZE
OF THE CITY FROM TWELVE TO THE
PRESENT TWENTY
ARRONDISSEMENTS.
PAINTING BY ADOLPHE YVON 10

11. THE RUE DES MARMOUSETS, ONE OF THE NARROW
AND DARK MEDIEVAL STREETS ON THE ÎLE DE LA
CITÉ, IN THE 1850S. THE SITE IS NEAR THE HÔTEL-
DIEU (GENERAL HOSPITAL ON THE ÎLE DE LA CITÉ).
THE RUE DU MARCHÉ AUX FLEURS ON THE ÎLE DE LA
CITÉ, BEFORE HAUSSMANN. THE SITE IS NOW THE PLACE
LOUIS-LÉPINE.
THE RUE DU JARDINET ON THE LEFT BANK,
DEMOLISHED BY HAUSSMANN TO MAKE ROOM FOR
THE BOULEVARD SAINT GERMAIN
y Horace Vernet - The French revolution of 1848, Public
Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71217
THE RUE TIRECHAMP IN THE OLD "QUARTIER
DES ARCIS", DEMOLISHED DURING THE
EXTENSION OF THE RUE DE RIVOLI
THE BIEVRE RIVER WAS USED TO DUMP THE WASTE
FROM THE TANNERIES OF PARIS; IT EMPTIED INTO
THE SEINE.
BARRICADE ON RUE SOUFFLOT DURING
THE 1848 REVOLUTION. THERE WERE SEVEN
ARMED UPRISINGS IN PARIS BETWEEN 1830
AND 1848, WITH BARRICADES BUILT IN THE
NARROW STREETS.
11

12. THE RUE DE RIVOLI, SHOWN HERE IN
1855, WAS THE FIRST BOULEVARD
BUILT BY HAUSSMANN, AND IT
SERVED AS THE MODEL FOR THE
OTHERS.
3. FIRST PHASE
Haussmann begins work – the Croisée
de Paris (1853–59)
Napoléon III was determined to complete it.
Completion of the rue de Rivoli was given an
even higher priority, because the Emperor
wanted it finished before the opening of
the Paris Universal Exposition of 1855,
only two years away, and he wanted the
project to include a new hotel, the Grand
Hôtel du Louvre, the first large luxury hotel
in the city, to house the Imperial guests at
the Exposition
12

13. 3. FIRST PHASE:
HAUSSMANN BEGINS WORK – THE CROISÉE DE PARIS (1853–
59)
THE PLAN
 A GREATLY EXPANDED SEWER SYSTEM
 THE CONSTRUCTION OF WIDE BOULEVARDS
 GAS LLDING REGULATIONS
 IGHTING FOR THE STREETS
 THE FORMULATION OF PUBLIC BUILDING REGULATIONS
 THE CONSTRUCTION OF MONUMENTS
 AN UPDATED AND UNIFORM FAÇADE FOR THE CITY’S BUILDINGS
 A REORGANIZED AND SYMMETRICAL ROAD SYSTEMS
 THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW PARKS
 THE DIVISION OF PARIS INTO ARRONDISSEMENTS
(DISTRICTS) AND THE EXPANSION OF THE CITY LIMITS
13

14. 3. FIRST PHASE
14

15. 3. FIRST PHASE (MAP OF PARIS)
15

16. The Grande Croisée De Paris, a great cross in the centre of Paris that would
permit easier communication from east to west along the rue de Rivoli and
rue Saint-Antoine, and north-south communication along two new
Boulevards, Strasbourg and Sébastopol.
PHOTO SOURCE:
http://www.cittasostenibili.it/industriale/industriale_Scheda_1.htm
3. FIRST PHASE
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17. 3. FIRST PHASE
17

18. 3. FIRST PHASE
18

19. The city of Paris is divided into initially into 12 arrondissements otherwise
known as districts.
3. FIRST PHASE
19

20. The boulevards and streets built by Napoléon III and Haussmann during the
Second Empire are shown in red. They also built the Bois de Boulogne park
(green area on the left), the Bois de Vincennes park containing a zoo (green
area on the right), the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, the Parc Montsouris and
dozens of smaller parks and squares.
3. FIRST PHASE
20

21. 3. FIRST PHASE
In 1855, work began on the north-
south axis, beginning with
Boulevard de Strasbourg and
Boulevard Sébastopol, which cut
through the center of some of the
most crowded neighborhoods in
Paris, where the cholera epidemic
had been the worst, between the
rue Saint-Martin and rue Saint-
Denis.
Constructed 9,467 metres (6
miles) of new boulevards, at a net
cost of 278 million francs
The north-south axis was
completed in 1859
THE PLANNING TYPOLOGY WAS
FORMERLY GRID FOLLOWING THE
ROMAN GRIDIRON SYSTEM 21

22. 4. THE SECOND PHASE
A NETWORK OF NEW BOULEVARDS (1859–1867)
His second phase, approved by the Emperor and parliament in 1858 and
begun in 1859, was much more ambitious. He intended to build a network of
wide boulevards to connect the interior of Paris with the ring of grand
boulevards built by Louis XVIII during the restoration, and to the new
railroad stations which Napoleon III considered the real gates of the city.
He planned to construct 26,294 metres (16 miles) of new avenues and
streets, at a cost of 180 million francs. Haussmann's plan called for the
following
N
22

23. On the right bank:
 The construction of a large new square, place du Chateau-d'Eau (the
modern Place de la République).
 The extension of boulevard Magenta to connect it with the new railway
station, the Gare du Nord.
 The construction of boulevard Malesherbes, to connect the place de la
Madeleine to the new Monceau neighborhood
 A new square, Place de l'Europe, in front of the Gare Saint-
Lazare railway station.
 Parc Monceau was redesigned and replanted, and part of the old park
made into a residential quarter.
 The rue de Londres and rue de Constantinople, under a new name, Avenue
de Villiers, was extended to porte Champerret
 The Étoile, around the Arc de Triomphe, was completely redesigned.
 Avenue Daumesnil was built as far as the new Bois de Vincennes, a huge
new park being constructed on the east edge of the city.
 The hill of Chaillot was leveled, and a new square created at the Pont
d'Alma.
4. THE SECOND PHASE
23

24.  The grand projects of the second phase were mostly welcomed,
but also caused criticism.
 the growing cost of his projects; the estimated cost for the 26,290
metres (86,250 ft) of new avenues had been 180 million francs,
but grew to 410 million francs
 property owners whose buildings had been expropriated won a
legal case entitling them to a larger payments, and many property
owners found ingenious ways to increase the value of their
expropriated properties by inventing non-existent shops and
businesses, and charging the city for lost revenue
 Paris doubles in size – the annexation of 1860
 The annexation more than doubled the area of the city from 3,300
hectares to 7,100 hectares, and the population of Paris instantly
grew by 400,000 to 1,600,000 people
4. THE SECOND PHASE
24

25. The city of Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements municipaux,
administrative districts, more simply referred to as arrondissements
4. THE SECOND PHASE
25

26. Paris Doubles in Size and the
Annexation of 1860
The Île de la Cité transformed by
Haussmann: new transverse streets
(red), public spaces (light blue) and
buildings (dark blue).
The island became an enormous
construction site, which completely
destroyed most of the old streets
and neighborhoods.
Two new government buildings,
the Tribunal de Commerce and
the Prefecture de Police, were
built.
The Medici Fountain had to be
moved further into the park, and
was reconstructed with the addition
of statuary and a long basin of
water. 26

27. 5. THE THIRD PHASE AND MOUNTING CRITICISM
(1869–70)
Haussmann ignored the attacks and went ahead with the third phase, which
planned the construction of twenty eight kilometers of new boulevards at an
estimated cost of 280 million francs.
27

28. 3. THE THIRD PHASE
Included these projects on the right bank:
 The renovation of the gardens of the Champs-Élysées.
 Finishing the place du Château d'Eau (now Place de la Republique),
creating a new avenue des Amandiers and extending avenue Parmentier.
 Finishing the place du Trône (now Place de la Nation) and opening three
new boulevards: avenue Philippe-Auguste, avenue Taillebourg, and
avenue de Bouvines.
 Extending the rue Caulaincourt and preparing a future Pont
Caulaincourt.
 Building a new rue de Châteaudon and clearing the space around the
church of Notre-Dame de Lorette, making room for connection between
the gare Saint-Lazare and the gare du Nord and gare de l'Est.
 Finishing the place in front of the Gare du Nord. Rue Maubeuge was
extended from Montmartre to the boulevard de la Chapelle, and rue
Lafayette was extended to the porte de Pantin.
28

29. 3. THE THIRD PHASE
29

30. The downfall of Haussmann (1870) and the completion of his
work (1927)
Haussmann's successor as prefect of the Seine appointed Jean-Charles
Alphand, the head of Haussmann's department of parks and plantations, as
the director of works of Paris.
Alphand respected the basic concepts of his plan. Despite their intense
criticism of Napoleon III and Haussmann during the Second Empire, the
leaders of the new Third Republic continued and finished his renovation
projects.
 1875 – completion of the Paris Opéra
 1877 – completion of the boulevard Saint-Germain
 1877 – completion of the avenue de l'Opéra
 1879 – completion of the boulevard Henri IV
 1889 – completion of the avenue de la République
 1907 – completion of the boulevard Raspail
 1927 – completion of the boulevard Haussmann
30

31. GREEN SPACE – PARKS AND GARDENS
 Paris had only four public parks: the Jardin
des Tuileries, the Jardin du Luxembourg,
and the Palais Royal, all in the center of
the city, and the Parc Monceau, the former
property of the family of King Louis Philippe
 Napoleon was inspired by Hyde park while
on exile in London
 Working with Haussmann, Jean-Charles
Alphand, the engineer who headed the new
Service of Promenades and Plantations,
whom Haussmann brought with him from
Bordeaux, and his new chief
gardener, Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps,
also from Bordeaux, laid out a plan for four
major parks at the cardinal points of the
compass around the city.
31

32.  Haussmann created twenty-four new squares; seventeen in the older part of the city,
eleven in the new arrondissements, adding 150,000 square meters of green space
 Alphand termed these small parks "green and flowering salons." Haussmann's goal
was to have one park in each of the eighty neighborhoods of Paris, so that no one
was more than ten minutes' walk from such a park.
32

33. Architecture: The architecture of
Haussmann's Paris
Architecture, many of the buildings
constructed according to Haussmann's
vision were designed in a Renaissance
Revival style called, fittingly, Napoleon
III.
An eclectic style combining decorative
details from the past, it informed the
facades of some of the city's most
famous buildings, including the Paris
Opera and the last wing of the Louvre.
His standardized look included a
maximum of five stories, a 45-degree-
pitched roof, and wrought-iron
balconies. The exteriors were non-
negotiable, while the interiors were left
to the building owners.
33

34. Architecture: The architecture of Haussmann's Paris
Haussmann-style apartment buildings with these 9 characteristics:
1) All buildings are made of pièrre de taille: this is a light gray hewn stone with
its quintessential decorative flourishes.
2) A carriage entrance: carriage entrances that lead into a small courtyard.
nobility to be able to enter their buildings with a horse-drawn carriage in the
19th Century
3) Guard stones at the entrance: heavy, brutish stones are at the entrances such
guard stones were placed to protect the sides of buildings.
4) The first floor of every Haussmann-style building is actually
an entresol: This first floor was primarily used by merchants and shops.
5) The second floor is the grandest: also called the étage noble, has the highest
ceilings (3.2 meters or 10.5 ft). From the exterior, you will notice that the étage
noble has grand balconies and in its interior, the most ornate moldings.
6) The second floor was reserved for the nobility: high enough to be away from
the general public but without the inconvenience of too many flights of stairs,
the second floor is where the richest Parisians lived. It was only later that
elevators were installed to improve the access to higher floors.
34

35. Architecture: The architecture of Haussmann's Paris
Haussmann-style apartment buildings with these 9 characteristics:
7. The 3rd and 4th floors are slightly less grand: as you move up the
building the ceiling heights are reduced and the interior architectural
flourishes become simpler.
8. The 6th floor was for the servants: the attic, or chambre de bonne in
French, was reserved for the maids and servants of the building. Today
these apartments, although more modest in size, are coveted for their
stunning views of Parisian rooftops.
9. Rooftops had to be at a 45-degree slant: Baron Haussmann wanted
to make sure that all city streets had access to as much sunlight as
possible, which is why he regulated the slope of the buildings’ rooftops.
35

36. Haussmann blocks are compact but relatively narrow and shallow. While
modern buildings have often a depth of much more than 10 meters, often up
to 20 meters (in the case of towers), the Haussmann building shows a depth
all along the building of 7 to 13 meters maximum.
In the article the architect says: “The narrow layout encourages double or
triple exposure in the flats. Thus this allows important access to air and natural
light. Ceiling, 3 meters high minimum, increases the perception of sunlight.
Those are qualities of comfort that make density acceptable“.
https://cjag.org/2017/05/15/haussmanns-paris-as-a-
model-for-architecture/
Architecture: The Haussmann Building
Haussmann-style apartment buildings Massing & Measurements
36

37. Besides building churches, theaters and other public buildings, Haussmann paid
attention to the details of the architecture along the street; his city architect, Gabriel
Davioud, designed garden fences, kiosks, shelters for visitors to the parks, public
toilets, and dozens of other small but important structures. 37

38. The sewage and utility systems underneath the streets of
Haussmann's Paris – the renovation of the city‘ infrastructure
 March 1855 Haussmann appointed Eugene Belgrand, to the post of
Director of Water and Sewers of Paris
 constructed a system of aqueducts that nearly doubled the amount of
water available per person per day and quadrupled the number of
homes with running water.
 Containers of solid waste were picked up each night by people
called vidangeurs, who carried it to waste dumps on the outskirts of
the city
 The tunnels he designed were intended to be clean, easily accessible,
and substantially larger than the previous Parisian Paris's sewer
system expanded fourfold between 1852 and 1869
 The underground labyrinth built by Haussmann also provided gas for
heat and for lights to illuminate . A channel he built was wide enough
for pople to walk in and work with sidewalks on either side for
the égoutiers,
 designed wagons and boats moved on rails up and down the channels,
cleaning them. Belgrand proudly invited tourists to visit his sewers
and ride in the boats under the streets of the city
 Paris was thin referred to as a “City of Lights”
38

39. 6. LEGACY:
 Haussmann's plan for Paris inspired the urban planning and creation
of similar boulevards, squares and parks in Buenos Aires, Brussels,
Rome, Vienna, Stockholm, Madrid, and Barcelona. After the Paris
International Exposition of 1867, William I, the King of Prussia, carried
back to Berlin a large map showing Haussmann's projects, which
influenced the future planning of that city.
 Inspired the City Beautiful Movement in the United States
by Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park in New York,
visited the Bois de Boulogne eight times during his 1859 study trip to
Europe
 influenced by the innovations of the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. The
American architect Daniel Burnham borrowed liberally from
Haussmann's plan and incorporated the diagonal street designs in his
1909 Plan of Chicago.
 Haussmann had been made senator in 1857, member of the Academy
of Fine Arts in 1867, and grand cross of the Legion of Honour in 1862.
His name is preserved in the Boulevard Haussmann.
39

40. Photo Link:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/how-georges-
eugene-haussmanns-architecture-defined-paris
40

41. 7. References:
1) Allen, E. (2018, May 30). How Georges-Eugène Haussmann's Architecture
Defined Paris. Retrieved from Architecturedigest.com:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/how-georges-eugene-haussmanns-
architecture-defined-paris
2) Camara, V. d. (2019, January 17). Rue Daily. Retrieved from ruemag.com:
https://ruemag.com/decorating/9-characteristics-of-parisian-haussmann-
style-apartments
3) Cuttle, J. (2018, February 17). Georges-Eugène Haussmann: The Man Who
Created Paris. Retrieved from Culture Trip:
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/paris/articles/georges-eugene-
haussmann-the-man-who-created-paris/
4) McDonough, K. (2017, February 13). Project D - Haussmann and the
Modernization of paris. Retrieved from YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x_yLpI1V2k
5) Muscato, C. (2019). Art 101, Georges- Haussman's Renewal of paris. Retrieved
from Study.com: https://study.com/academy/lesson/georges-eugene-
haussmann-s-urban-renewal-of-paris.html
6) Pravin, D. (2015, June 28). Paris Town Planning. Retrieved from Slide Share:
https://www.slideshare.net/dhanyapravin/paris-1-49923962
7) Wikimedia. (2019, July 16). Haussmann's renovation of Paris. Retrieved from
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haussmann%27s_renovation_of_Paris
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42. * MERCI BEAUCOUP *
THE end
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