Haussmann and the Rebuilding of Paris, 1853-70: A Reassessment

While it has become common-place to associate the name “Haussmann” with slum clearance, this assessment needs to be rethought in light of the extensive literature on the public works that transformed Paris in the mid-nineteenth century. This chapter shows that while the transformation of Paris did result in the destruction of a number of working-class neighborhoods, “slum clearance” was likely not Napoleon III and Haussmann’s overarching motivation. This more nuanced interpretation of the public works relies on the spatial unevenness of the urban renovations and of their impacts, Haussmann’s particular conception of Paris and its population, and his planning practice, which sought to wrench planning away from property owner influences.