Today in Modern Art History we discussed the "haussmannization" of Paris.
The design of Paris was flawed for an ever growing and modern city. The streets were so narrow that a single horse cart or carriage would not be able to pass through certain areas. To combat this issue, Haussmann was commissioned by Napoleon III to renovate Paris. By demolishing the buildings closest to the streets and widening the roadways, Haussmann effectively redesigned Paris for the modern age. Though some people thought the change was ugly or destroyed the heart and soul of what is Paris, the renovation allowed a better flow of traffic and water/sewage. As disease was at an all-time high, standing water and sewage in the street was killing the citizens of Paris.
I think this is a tough decision. Destroy your history in lieu of growing your city and lowering the disease rate? Its one of those things that is going to make some of the people angry. A decision was made to better the city and its population. I think they made the correct choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment