Wide Streets and Big Plans: How Paris Redesigned Its City
In 1832, a deadly disease called cholera swept through Paris and killed 18,402 people in a single year. The city's streets were so narrow and crowded — some only one meter wide — that garbage piled up, sewage ran in open channels, and disease spread fast. Twenty years later, Emperor Napoleon III decided something had to change. He hired a man named Baron Haussmann, and together they tore down and rebuilt a huge portion of the city. The Paris you see on postcards today is mostly their creation.
What You'll Learn
After this lesson you will be able to: • Describe what Paris looked like before the 1850s makeover • Explain why Baron Haussmann redesigned the city and what he changed • Name the key features of a Haussmann boulevard • Think about both the benefits and the problems the redesign caused
Paris Before the Big Change
Medieval Paris grew without a plan. Streets followed old cow paths and trade routes. By the 1840s, over a million people lived in a city built for far fewer. Some streets were so dark and narrow that sunlight never reached the ground floor. Three major problems made life dangerous: 1. Disease: No proper sewer system meant waste went straight into the streets and the Seine river — the same river people drank from. Cholera outbreaks killed thousands. 2. Traffic: Horse-drawn carts could barely squeeze past each other, making commerce slow and accidents common. 3. Fire risk: Wooden buildings packed close together meant a single fire could burn for blocks.
Baron Haussmann's Grand Plan
Georges-Eugene Haussmann was a prefect (a senior government official) appointed by Napoleon III in 1853. Over the next 17 years, he oversaw one of the biggest urban makeovers in history: • 12,000 buildings were demolished to make way for new ones • 137 kilometers of new wide streets called boulevards were created • 600 kilometers of new sewer pipes were installed underground • 600,000 trees were planted along the new streets • Thousands of new apartment buildings with matching stone facades went up Haussmann worked from a map of the entire city, drawing straight lines through existing neighborhoods. His goal was light, air, movement, and hygiene.
At least 12,000 buildings were knocked down during the Haussmann renovation — roughly one in every five structures in the city at the time. About 350,000 people, one third of Paris's population, were displaced from their homes. Most were working-class and poor Parisians who were relocated to the outskirts of the city.
What Makes a Haussmann Boulevard Special?
A Haussmann boulevard is easy to recognize because of its consistent design: • Width: at least 24 meters wide, with separated lanes for different traffic • Sidewalks: wide enough for cafes, markets, and people to walk side by side • Trees: planted in rows for shade and beauty — usually plane trees or chestnuts • Buildings: five to six stories of pale cream limestone, with iron balconies at matching heights, creating a uniform wall of stone on each side • Underground: sewer pipes, gas lines, and later water mains run beneath every major boulevard This combination of wide streets, underground infrastructure, and planned facades became a model copied by cities around the world, from Buenos Aires to Hanoi.
Why did Baron Haussmann build wide boulevards instead of leaving Paris's narrow medieval streets?
Match each problem in old Paris to the Haussmann solution that addressed it.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
One result of the Haussmann renovation was that 350,000 people lost their homes. These were mostly:
Design a Street Improvement for Your Town
1. Think of a street or area near your school or home that has a problem — too much traffic, no trees, missing sidewalks, poor lighting, or anything else. 2. Draw a 'before' sketch of the street as it looks now. Label at least two problems you see. 3. Draw an 'after' sketch showing your improvement plan. Include at least three specific changes, for example: add a bike lane, plant trees, widen sidewalks, add a crosswalk, or put in a bench. 4. For each change, write one sentence explaining WHY it would help — is it for health, safety, beauty, or the environment? 5. Look at your plan and answer: Would your improvements push anyone out of their home or business? How could you plan fairly so improvements help everyone, including people who have the least?
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
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