2. What was Haussmannization?
• Haussmann's
renovation of
Paris was a vast public
works program which
started Napoleon III in
the period from 1853 –
1870 in Paris.
• Baron Georges-Eugene
Haussmann, chosen by
Napoleon III to lead
the project.
3. • The Haussmanization
demolished the chaotic,
ugly, and unsanitary
medieval neighborhoods of
Paris and replaced them
with the beautiful cream
colored buildings, parks and
squares that represent
today.
• The entire city was rebuilt in
a matter of two decades.
4. • To accompany the new streets and provide visual unity to
the entire city.
• Napoleon had a greater interest in the techniques and
new materials like glass and iron.
• Haussman unquestionably left his mark on Paris.
• His design principles increased the function, but
destroyed numerous traditions and evicted the poor
from the city in the process.
8. Georges-Eugène Haussmann
• Lived 27 March 1809 – 11 January 1891.
• Studied Law and then rapidly advanced in the civil service.
• Became the prefect of Seine in 1853
• Worked in close collaboration with Napoleon III on the Renovation
of Paris
• Haussmann, who was responsible for creating a new space in Paris
• Not an architect or urban planner
• Never officially a Baron
9. The plan
Haussmann embarked on on a radical project of urban design to
rebuild Paris as a modern city. The project included...
• Sewer system
• Wide Boulevards
• Gas lighting
• Public Building regulations
• Monuments
• Updated Facade
• A reorganized symmetrical road system
• Parks
• Division of Paris into Districts and its expansion
12. Reasons for Modernization
• From 1800 to 1850 the population doubled to over one
million
• In 1850 the majority of Paris was still the medieval
style of unplanned narrow winding streets.
• The open gutters used for carrying sewage was a
breeding ground for disease.
• Narrow streets easy to barricade
• Napoleon III was inspired by trip to London to
modernize the city.
13.
14. Did Haussmannization
modernize Paris?
• Because of Haussmannization the new roads
started to be built, a sewage system and water
supply were constructed.
• Improved circulation in the city.
• Linking monumental sites.
• More green space.
15. Roads
• Haussmann brought symmetry to the city
• Haussmann wanted all main roads to pass
major buildings and monuments
• The new streets were laid out in a grid
running east to west north to south with
diagonal connections radiating out
• Perhaps most importantly the wide
avenues would be hard to barricade and
allow fast access for troops.
• The construction and widening of streets
required the expropriation and demolition
of many buildings
16.
17.
18. Sewers
• Pre-Haussmann: Bruneseau's underground system intermixed
sanitary and unsanitary water
• Haussmann engineered a new
underground sewer system:
separation of drinking water and waste
• Iron piping and digging
techniques from Industrial Revolution
• Became a tourist attraction post sanitation 1859 below the Rue Royale
• In 1878, the system expanded to 360 miles long
19. Facade of buildings
• The city was rebuilt with a neoclassical facade
• The widening of the streets allowed for extra height to be added to
the buildings increasing
living space
• Typically five stories
• Elaborate balcony on
second floor
• Shops on bottom level
21. What was its social impact?
• Dislocation of communities as working classes
pushed out to outer to suburbs
• Haussmann was unwilling to compromise his
ideas. His plans evicted poor citizens from the city
when he destroyed their neighborhoods.
• 350,000 individuals displaced their homes.
• Propertied class wanted more comfortable space
in central areas.
22. Conclusion
• Haussmann was able to modernize Paris, improve the cleanliness, and
reveal its beauty.
• He used sleek lines and organized the layout by working from the heart of
the city to the outside.
• Haussmann made Paris better regarded as a city, although he was often
called an “artist of destruction.”
• Overall the streets were more effective and prettier since the sewer
system was moved underground.
• This led to a city with cleaner drinking water and less disease outbreaks.
• His proto-modern style utilizing geometric designs was visually pleasing
and eventually increased the functionality of Paris.
