If you were to travel all over the world, you might
notice that each of the world’s most famous cities is
characterized by a certain look. Tokyo offers neon
billboards and colorful signs. 1 Paris fans out from
the base of the Eiffel Tower, a system of wide, tree-
lined avenues and low, neo-Classical buildings made of
gray stone. This area has been inhabited for thousands
of years. 2 Regardless, its current look is a relatively
recent development. Visiting Paris two hundred years
ago, 3 the city would have looked very different. Until the
middle of the nineteenth century, Paris was characterized
by overcrowded conditions and narrow, winding streets.
It bore a closer resemblance to the London of the 1500s
than the modern “City of Lights” so frequently depicted in
popular movies and photographs.
[1] Paris’s transformation was largely the work of
4 one man: Georges-Eugene Haussmann, whose official
title was Prefect of the Seine Department. [2] He was
appointed to recreate Paris by Napoleon III, who had
declared himself Emperor of France in 1851 and wanted
to cement his legacy by creating a modern capital. [3] At
the time, the city was divided into many small, cramped
neighborhoods that 5 was disconnected from one
another, making transportation difficult. [4] Moreover, the
overcrowding in these areas led to unhygienic conditions
in which disease spread easily. [5] The aims of Napoleon’s
reforms were twofold: to make Paris more aesthetically
pleasing and to make it more functional. [6] Infant
mortality rates in these neighborhoods were sky-high, and
epidemics were very difficult to control. 6
To address these problems, Haussmann installed
several wide 7 boulevards. These both opened up the
city visually and made it easier to get from place to place.
In order to create these thoroughfares, though, existing
roads had to be widened. Many small streets dating from
Paris’s medieval past were completely demolished. In
some other areas, Haussmann was forced to work around
existing streets in order to preserve buildings of historical
importance.
Other changes that Haussmann made to the city
included the addition of more green space in the form of
both large and small public parks, 8 constructing two new
train stations to connect the city to the rest of the country,
and the modification of the city’s borders. Consequently,
Paris’s population 9 quadrupled in number of people by a
factor of four.
Not surprisingly, Haussmann did face criticism from
both politicians and Parisian citizens. 10 The projects cost
millions of francs, frustrating city leaders, and the sweeping
visual changes Haussmann instituted left many residents
feeling their beloved city was unrecognizable. Haussmann’s
ideals, however, went on to become influential in the “City
Beautiful” urban planning movement in the United States.
Cities like Chicago, Denver, and 11 Washington, D.C. all
owe a debt, to Haussmann.
notice that each of the world’s most famous cities is
characterized by a certain look. Tokyo offers neon
billboards and colorful signs. 1 Paris fans out from
the base of the Eiffel Tower, a system of wide, tree-
lined avenues and low, neo-Classical buildings made of
gray stone. This area has been inhabited for thousands
of years. 2 Regardless, its current look is a relatively
recent development. Visiting Paris two hundred years
ago, 3 the city would have looked very different. Until the
middle of the nineteenth century, Paris was characterized
by overcrowded conditions and narrow, winding streets.
It bore a closer resemblance to the London of the 1500s
than the modern “City of Lights” so frequently depicted in
popular movies and photographs.
[1] Paris’s transformation was largely the work of
4 one man: Georges-Eugene Haussmann, whose official
title was Prefect of the Seine Department. [2] He was
appointed to recreate Paris by Napoleon III, who had
declared himself Emperor of France in 1851 and wanted
to cement his legacy by creating a modern capital. [3] At
the time, the city was divided into many small, cramped
neighborhoods that 5 was disconnected from one
another, making transportation difficult. [4] Moreover, the
overcrowding in these areas led to unhygienic conditions
in which disease spread easily. [5] The aims of Napoleon’s
reforms were twofold: to make Paris more aesthetically
pleasing and to make it more functional. [6] Infant
mortality rates in these neighborhoods were sky-high, and
epidemics were very difficult to control. 6
To address these problems, Haussmann installed
several wide 7 boulevards. These both opened up the
city visually and made it easier to get from place to place.
In order to create these thoroughfares, though, existing
roads had to be widened. Many small streets dating from
Paris’s medieval past were completely demolished. In
some other areas, Haussmann was forced to work around
existing streets in order to preserve buildings of historical
importance.
Other changes that Haussmann made to the city
included the addition of more green space in the form of
both large and small public parks, 8 constructing two new
train stations to connect the city to the rest of the country,
and the modification of the city’s borders. Consequently,
Paris’s population 9 quadrupled in number of people by a
factor of four.
Not surprisingly, Haussmann did face criticism from
both politicians and Parisian citizens. 10 The projects cost
millions of francs, frustrating city leaders, and the sweeping
visual changes Haussmann instituted left many residents
feeling their beloved city was unrecognizable. Haussmann’s
ideals, however, went on to become influential in the “City
Beautiful” urban planning movement in the United States.
Cities like Chicago, Denver, and 11 Washington, D.C. all
owe a debt, to Haussmann.