The Grand Manner and Paris under Haussmannization Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street, Rainy Day” (1877) This lecture will: • Provide an overview of Baroque urban design, also known as “The Grand Manner” • Explore the transformation of nineteenth century Paris under the influence of Emperor Napoleon III and Georges Haussmann. • Set the stage for understanding subsequent planning approaches that borrowed from Haussmann’s restructuring of Paris. Note: Much of the content of this lecture come from the work of Spiro Kostof’s The City Shaped David Pinkney’s and Napoleon III and the Rebuilding of Paris. This week we will be narrowing our focus on the city of Paris in the 19th century. Paris is perhaps the most striking modern example of urban restructuring aimed at alleviating congestion and disorder. But in order to fully appreciate the vast physical changes that the city experienced over the course of just a few decades, we should first familiarize ourselves with some basic urban design elements that had been employed since antiquity, but which by the 1700s had become, according to architectural historian Spiro Kostof, “a rational system of urban design.” This system came to be called “Baroque Urban Design,” or “The Grand Manner” of planning. Consisting of a handful (10 to be exact) of clearly identifiable physical elements, the Grand Manner was most often an expression or a “staging” of political power. 1. The Straight Street An essential element of Baroque urban design was the that of the straight street. We have discussed the use of the grid before, but here we are talking about the carving out of a singular straight street in contrast to the surrounding irregularities of winding pathways. In Europe, Renaissance Florence was instrumental in the development of the straight street as an artistically conceived space – an urban space with its own integrity rather than the space left over between buildings. The design advantages of straight streets included: 1.  …increased control over public order. By avoiding or eliminating winding, labyrinthine streets, the ability or temptation to obstruct passages through barricades during times of riots was significantly weakened. 2.  …promotion of circulation of people, goods, transportation and military troops and artillery. As the industrial revolution placed pressure on cities through significant population increase, intense congestion in the city center followed. Carving straight streets through the center proved to be a common modern planning tactic. Right:    Nevsky  Prospekt  in  St.  Petersburg,  1703.    The   massive  propor?ons  of  this  street  were  intended  to   reflect  the  poli?cal  power  of  Russia  under  Peter  the   Great  and  his  efforts  to  modernize  his  empire.   2. The Baroque Diagonal A more ...

1. The Grand Manner
and Paris under Haussmannization
Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street, Rainy Day” (1877)
This lecture will:
• Provide an overview of Baroque urban design, also known
as “The Grand Manner”
• Explore the transformation of nineteenth century Paris
under the influence of
Emperor Napoleon III and Georges Haussmann.
• Set the stage for understanding subsequent planning
approaches that borrowed
from Haussmann’s restructuring of Paris.
Note: Much of the content of this lecture come from the work
of Spiro Kostof’s The City Shaped
David Pinkney’s and Napoleon III and the Rebuilding of Paris.
This week we will be narrowing our focus on the city of Paris in
the 19th century.
Paris is perhaps the most striking modern example of urban
restructuring aimed
at alleviating congestion and disorder. But in order to fully
appreciate the vast
physical changes that the city experienced over the course of

2. just a few decades,
we should first familiarize ourselves with some basic urban
design elements that
had been employed since antiquity, but which by the 1700s had
become,
according to architectural historian Spiro Kostof, “a rational
system of urban
design.” This system came to be called “Baroque Urban
Design,” or “The Grand
Manner” of planning. Consisting of a handful (10 to be exact)
of clearly
identifiable physical elements, the Grand Manner was most
often an expression
or a “staging” of political power.
1. The Straight Street
An essential element of Baroque urban design was the that of
the straight street. We
have discussed the use of the grid before, but here we are
talking about the carving
out of a singular straight street in contrast to the surrounding
irregularities of winding
pathways. In Europe, Renaissance Florence was instrumental in
the development of
the straight street as an artistically conceived space – an urban
space with its own
integrity rather than the space left over between buildings.
The design advantages of straight streets
included:

3. 1. …increased control over public order.
By avoiding or eliminating winding,
labyrinthine streets, the ability or
temptation to obstruct passages
through barricades during times of
riots was significantly weakened.
2. …promotion of circulation of people,
goods, transportation and military
troops and artillery. As the industrial
revolution placed pressure on cities
through significant population
increase, intense congestion in the city
center followed. Carving straight
streets through the center proved to
be a common modern planning tactic.
Right:
Nevsky
Prospekt
in
St.
Petersburg,
1703.
The
massive
propor?ons
of
this
street
were
intended

4. to
reflect
the
poli?cal
power
of
Russia
under
Peter
the
Great
and
his
efforts
to
modernize
his
empire.
2. The Baroque Diagonal
A more specialized use of the straight
street in grand manner plans was that of
the Baroque diagonal. Here, a broad,
straight street runs at an angle to the
established grain of the streets. This tactic
not only creates a visual distinction for the
street, but it also often serves to connect
two prominent locations within the city
that might otherwise be only connected

5. through a zig-zagging of orthogonal
streets.
Above is a view of Daniel Burnham’s 1909
plan for Chicago. His use of the diagonal
emphasized the civic center and allowed
for greater circulation into and out of the
downtown. We will revisit this plan later
in the semester.
3. Trivium and Polyvium
A trivium is the meeting of three radial streets: either
converging upon or diverging from a
plaza. A trivium always features balances and symmetry; there
is an axial street in the center
with two side streets at equal relation on either side. A
polyvium consists of four or more
streets meeting at a square or rond-point. Here again, symmetry
defines the visual effect of
the polyvium. Below is a plan of Versailles, the royal country
chateau and seat of political
power of the French monarchy from 1682 to 1789. At the base
of the map, a trivium
converges on the palace in the center. At the top of the map, a
polyvium meets at a circular
garden feature on the vast and formally landscaped palace
grounds.
4. Boulevards and Avenues
Streets

6. terms
“boulevards”
were
originally
tree-­‐lined,
elevated
promenades
on
the
old
sites
of
city
walls
or
ramparts.
The
term
boulevard
came
from
the
name
of
an
old
city
for?fica?on
in
France.
They
became

7. recrea?onal
zones
at
the
edge
of
the
city.
By
1800s,
these
boulevards
became
engulfed
in
the
urban
fabric
as
ci?es
expanded,
and
they
oQen
became
lined
with
theaters,
cafes
and
luxury
shops.
Avenues

8. were
originally
country
roads
line
with
tall
trees
that
stood
out
from
the
surrounding
forest
or
countryside.
They
were
straight
roads
that
oQen
led
to
important
features
in
the
landscape,
such
as
country

9. palaces.
Boulevards
and
avenues
both
eventually
became
a
part
of
the
urban
fabric
and
the
difference
between
the
two
blurred.
Eventually
they
became
standardized
with
macadam,
underground
sewers,
and
sidewalks.

10. 5. Uniformity and the Continuous Frontage
The
individual
character
of
buildings
was
downplayed
in
order
to
emphasize
an
overall
visual
con?nuity.
This
included
con?nuous
cornices
and
ground
story
arcades,
along
with
iden?cal
cadences
in

11. window
spacing.
A
con?nuous
and
uniform
building
line
on
both
sides
of
a
street
enhances
the
perspec?ve
drive
of
the
street.
Early
examples
of
iden?cal
buildings
along
a
streetscape
could

12. be
found
in
rowhouses,
and
later
in
royal
places.
Berlin
and
Dresdon
represent
some
of
the
most
regimented
of
all
European
ci?es.
Building
permits
were
scru?nized
with
rela?on
even
to

13. the
street
and
to
the
surrounding
buildings.
In
some
cases,
en?re
neighborhoods
were
painted
in
the
same
pale
gray
color.
Above:
Places
des
Vosges,
Paris
(1605-­‐1612).
Here

14. individual
apartments,
though
built
under
the
same
development,
contributed
to
an
overall
visual
effect
of
uniformity.
Paris
apartment
building
would
later
emulate
this
con?nuous
frontage
under
Haussmann,
despite
different
architects

15. and
builders
within
one
stretch
of
block.
6. The Vista
The vista is created by framing a
distant view through a composed
foreground and a fixed marker in
the distance. The marker is usually
a prominent building or work of
public art. The uniformity of the
building facades or other
streetscape feature draws the gaze
down the street to the marker.
Decumadus
Maximus
in
Timgad,
Algeria
(first
century)

16. 7. Monuments and Markers
The strategic placement of a monument, column, obelisk or
other prominent form of
public art serves to accent a square or the end of a vista. Often
triumphal arches were
used at prominent entrances to a city in order to celebrate the
military and political
success of a particular regime. Below is a replica of Trajan’s
Column in Rome places in
the Place Vendome in Paris. The column was erected (1806-
1810) by Napoleon I to
commemorate the battle of Austerlitz, one of the most decisive
battles of the
Napoleonic Wars.
8. The Axis
The emphasis on one or two streets as the major axes of
circulation and traffic was
often more than a tactic to improve transportation. OQen
an
axis
was
intended
as
a
“royal
way,”
leading
to
a
strong

17. symbol
of
central
power.
These
monumentally-­‐scaled
streets
were
straight
and
wide,
and
were
intended
for
ritual,
parades,
processionals.
The
proper?es
along
an
axis
oQen
developed
as
commercial
and
residen?al
corridors
for
the

18. wealthy.
Above
is
a
plan
for
the
rebuilding
of
Berlin
drawn
by
Albert
Speer,
Adolf
Hitler’s
architect.
Though
never
implemented,
Speer’s
plans
u?lized
a
grand
axis
that
would
have
led
to

19. monumentally
scaled
public
buildings.
h`p://www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/guide/gmillspc.html
9. Geometry
One of the most consistent features of the
Grand Manner of planning was that of the
use of geometry for geometry’s sake. The
rational, orderly arrangement of streets and
building blocks gave the sense that the city
was cosmically ordered with a purpose.
This emphasis on rational design emerged
during the Renaissance and can be
connected to advances in astronomy,
science and mathematics. At left is a detail
from the 1807 plan for Detroit by Augustus
Brevort Woodward, which prominently
featured triangular designs. Urban
planning historian John W. Reps speculates
that although this early and unrealized plan
might have proved to be too abstract and
complicated, Woodward’s plan at least
embodied a grand vision for the city that
might have been useful as the city faced
challenges of growth.

20. 10. Theatricality
City streets, plazas and squares serve as a sort of daily spectacle
or theater. The urban
historian Lewis Mumford has stressed the theatrical nature of
cities, wherein citizens play out a
performance of social action. The grand manner of planning
harnessed this spectacular
quality of urban space, and often appropriated techniques used
in theater set design. Such
techniques included establishing perspective, the use of open
space of a street to frame a
particular view, coherence of architectural styles or motif, and
order through uniform street
elevation. Above is a view of St. Mark’s Square in Venice,
Italy by Gabriele Bella which
emphasizes this theatrical element of the square. Renaissance
urban designers even drew
from stage construction in their creation of spectacular city
landscapes.
The Grand Manner: City Plans
Now that we are familiar with the many formal elements of the
Grand Manner of planning, we’ll
briefly look at few examples of city plans before narrowing in
on the case of Paris. One of the
earliest comprehensive efforts at grand manner planning is that
of Renaissance Rome. In effort to
revive the city economically, restore faith in the church and
glorify the papacy, as well as improve
circulation within the city for the many pilgrims visiting each
year, popes began remodeling the
city beginning in the 1470s. Under Pope Sixtus V (and his
architect, Domenico Fontana) who was

21. appointed in 1585, a plan to provide a unifying order to Rome
was initiated. Rome had vastly
shrunk in population since its height during the Roman empire,
and the space within its walls
were really more like grouping of little villages rather than a
single urban landscape. The plan
connected seven major churches and other significant sites with
a new system of streets and
piazzas (left). The prime example giving the city a new image
of this was Bernini’s design for the
colonnade in front of St. Peter’s Basilica (right).
Urban disasters often bring the opportunity for significant
change. This was apparent in
London after the devastating fire of 1666, although grand
visions for redesign were
ultimately trumped by property owners’ desire to rebuild as
quickly as possible. Below is the
architect Christopher Wren’s plan for London, featuring broad
straight streets, a main axis,
and a number of polyvium converging on plazas. Wren based
his design on his observations
during a trip to Paris, and organized his plan according to his
expertise in astronomy,
geometry and mathematics.
The most prominent American example of the grand manner is
that of the original design for
Washington D.C. In 1791, George Washington assigned Major
Pierre L’Enfant the job of
drawing up the plans for the new capital city of the United
States. Thomas Jefferson had

22. proposed a simple grid plan, but L’Enfant scoffed at this and set
out to design a plan that, in
his words, was “proportioned to the greatness which…the
Capital of a powerful Empire
ought to manifest.” L’Enfant operated under the Baroque
planner manner in which the
grandeur of political systems were to be manifested in the
physical form of the city, through
proportion, vistas, monuments and grand buildings.
L’Enfant’s plans were never
fully realized; however, as we
will learn later on in the
course, his vision reemerged
in the City Beautiful plans for
the capital, designed by the
firm McKim, Mead & White.
Now, to Paris. It is important that we set the stage for
understanding that the changes in
Paris didn’t take place in a vacuum. However, the dramatic
transformation of Paris
beginning in the 1850s was so comprehensive that our modern
day mental image of the
city of romance is based on the streetscapes and building types
installed during this time.
The new plan for Paris had an overwhelming effect on cities all
over the world. Not only
did American cities copy its monumentality, but the French
themselves exported its urban
design elements to its overseas colonial empires.
The story begins not in France, however, but in England where
in 1844 the soon‐to‐be

23. Louis Napoleon III, France’s self‐appointed emperor,
languished away in a high-class
London prison. Ousted from his homeland for his role in trying
to overthrow the monarchy
of Louis-Philippe (known as the July Monarchy), Napoleon
managed to escape from his
English exile by 1846 and, wasting no time, had himself
reestablished as President of
France’s Second Republic by 1848. This would make many
people in Paris very angry, and
that anger will impact the city’s design (and Napoleon’s
downfall).
The easy part of Napoleon III’s rise to political power was thus
completed pretty quickly.
But France’s new ruler was immediately confronted with a
number of pressing issues that
demanded his attention or his authority might become
threatened. He resided in Paris at a
time when the city was experiencing the throes of industrial
expansion and population
growth more rapid than at any other point in history. As the
inner city grew increasingly
crowded and dirty, crime and disease climbed to alarming levels
and workers experiencing
an economic depression threatened to revolt. Louis Napoleon
responded to the mounting
tension by initiating a massive urban planning campaign meant
to physically as well as
socially and politically) reconstruct the entire city.

25. Making
Sense
of
Haussmanniza1on