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PARIS: Europe's
MEGACITY
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Unit 2 : Evolution Of Planning

Assignment 2
Iqra Javed
Saniya Ahmed

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About Paris
• Paris was born with the development of the villages on La Cite. But it got its
name Paris, only in the 4th century from its former name Lutetia.
• Early Parisians were fishermen, farmers, foresters, herdsmen and boatmen
who had prospered on the banks of the river Seine. In 51 B.C. the Romans
conquered Lutetia.
• Under the Roman Empire the region had prospered as a junction between the
North-South and the Seine. La Cite was enclosed in a wall due to persistent
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attacks from the barbarians.

• The Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century and the Merovingian's and
the Carolingians came into power.
• The administration of Paris was reorganized in the year 1261 and was divided
between the provost King (affairs of the state) and the provost merchant (local
affairs). Thus we can see the organizational change of power where the
merchants are allotted some power.

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Maps show city growth (508 to 1750)

Paris circa 1180, the third of

Map of Paris in 508 AD, at the time eight chronological maps of
of the first Frankish kings, the Paris from Nicolas de La Mare's
second of eight chronological maps Traité de la police.
of Paris from Nicolas de La Mare's
Traité de la police, as drawn in
1705.
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Paris circa 1223, the fourth of eight

chronological maps of Paris from
Nicolas de La Mare's Traité de la police. Evolution of the city from 1422
(BNF Gallica) to 1589, the sixth of eight
chronological maps of Paris
from Nicolas de La Mare's
Traité de la police.

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Evolution of the city

from 1589 to 1643, the
seventh of eight
chronological maps of
A perspective Paris from Nicolas de
drawing of Paris in La Mare's Traité de la
1618 by Claes police.
Jansz. Visscher.
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Perspective View of Paris

Paris divided in its twenty in 1607: Facsimile of a
quarters, 1705, the eighth of copper-plate by Léonard
eight chronological maps of Gaultier.
Paris from Nicolas de La
Mare's Traité de la police,
by Nicolas de Fer.

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Evolution of
planning
•The along side map shows the
intersection of two movement
system
,where the old Roman roads cross
the
River Seine.
• This established the design center
and
the line of force leading to the
formation of orientation for the
classical Roman city
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•This map shows the Medieval Paris

Paris in 1300
•A medieval walled city developed around
the crossing of the River Seine
•The Louvre palace is the point of origin of
as
it was from 1367 to 1383.
•The ancient crossing determines the
center of the tightly developed town
•The wall defining the area of
intensity
at the juncture of the movement Paris in 1600
system
•The inner dotted line shows the •White line indicates the position of wall
position of the first wall built north during
of 1300

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•The pressure of city growth
continued
•The grey shows the outward extension to the
new wall due to the pressure of city growth
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1760
• Proper water mains and
sewage
system were prescribed in
the plan.
• Narrow and polluted
streets.
• Regular grid housing
blocks.
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1765
• New principal streets were added.
• More round open spaces were
1834 prescribed.
• No pedestrian footpath.
• New market halls were introduced • Busy food market around the open
in order avoid the cramped market spaces.
places along the streets.
• Proper water conduits prescribed.
• New sewage system prescribed
due
to deterioration of sewage system
introduced earlier.

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Motivations to change Paris:

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• From 1800-1850 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.
• Napoleon had a greater interest in the techniques & new materials like glass &
iron.

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Haussmannization
(Haussmann’s renovation of Paris) :
• Haussmann, chosen by Napoleon III to lead the
project (Renovation of Paris).
• the
Haussmann’s renovation of Paris was a vast
public works program which
• started Napoleon III in the period from 1853 –
1870 in Paris.
• The entire city was rebuilt in a matter of two
decades.
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• The Haussmanization demolished the chaotic,
ugly, & unsanitary medieval neighborhoods of
Paris and replaced them with more designed
features of the city such as; the beautiful cream
colored buildings, parks & squares that represent
today.
• Design principles increased the function, but
destroyed numerous traditions& evicted the poor
from the city in the process.
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George-Eugene Haussmann:
•
•
Lived 1809-1891
Studied law.
• Wasn’t an architect or urban planner.
• Became the prefect of Seine in 1853
• Worked in closed collaboration with napoleon III on
• renovation of Paris.
• Haussmann, who was responsible for creating a new
space in Paris (bring Air & Light to the center of
the city).
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.
3.The tariff wall of 1780, demolished in the 1860s.
4.The ring of fortifications of the 1840s, later in
1860 to become the municipal and tariff border
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Haussmann Plan:
Haussmann embarked on a radical project of urban design to rebuild Paris
as a modern city. The project included:
• Sewer system.
• Wide boulevards(avenue)
• Gas lighting.
• Public building regulations
• Monuments.
BEFORE AFTER
• Updated façade
• Reorganized symmetrical road system Problems Faced By Haussmann While Executing His Plan
• Parks
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• Squares(open public spaces)
• Division of Paris into districts and its expansion
• Despite his desire to create a well organized and symmetrical city, his lack of skills as an urban planner got the
best of him and he was forced to work around existing streets in order to adhere to his desire for symmetry in the
city.
• The existing architecture in Paris proved to be his greatest enemy when laying out the new roads.
• The respect for the ancient monuments outweighed the need to unify the city completely and the river Seine
served as a natural barrier separating the two sides of Paris and the roads that once had the ambition to link the two
riverbanks.
• With this magnificent transformation of Paris into a modern city, came a big budget. According to the article
“Money and Politics in the Rebuilding of Paris, 1860-1870,” Haussmann calculated in 1869 that the cost of

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rebuilding Paris since the project’s beginning in 1851 was to be 2,500,000,000 francs.
• Haussmann did not have time to finish the third phase of his planning, as he soon came under intense attack from
The thick lines represent Haussmann boulevard
the opponents of Napoleon III.
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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.

Streets included in Haussmann’s improvement and regularization program. 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
Haussmann’s intentions. The hatched area indicates the municipality of Paris up to
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1860, when the municipal boundary was extended to the outer fortification ring.

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Sewers:
• Pre-Haussmann: underground system
intermixed sanitary & unsanitary water.

• Haussmann engineered a new underground

sewer system: separation of potable water &
waste.

• Iron piping & digging techniques from

industrial revolution.

• Became a tourist attraction post sanitation.

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Façade Of Buildings:
• The city was rebuilt with a neoclassical façade.

• 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.

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Social Impact: Lessons:

• Dislocation of communities as working classes pushed out to • Infrastructure is a prime stone for urban development.
outer to suburbs.
• Insistence to achieve the Goal.
• Haussmann was unwilling to compromise his ideas. His plans
evicted poor citizens from the city when he destroyed their • Public satisfaction is almost impossible in urban
neighborhoods. development’s projects.

• 350,000 individuals displaced their homes. • Existence Random neighborhoods inside modern planned
cities is impossible.
• Propertied class wanted more comfortable space in central
areas. • Urban planner have to focus on region potentials.

• Urban planning can’t success without developing in both

sides; Function & Visual side. Avenue not only circulation
but actually unifying the image of the city.
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Outcomes:
• 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.

• Overall the streets were more effective & prettier since the
sewer system was moved underground.

• This led to a city with cleaner drinking water & less disease

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