Haussmann & 20th Century Modernism
Analysis
Haussmann’s work during the late nineteenth century transformed Paris socially, economically and architecturally. The wide boulevards, Haussmann style apartments and monuments still remained through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century. Following Haussmann, at the turn of the twentieth century came the rise of Modernism and the International style. Napoleon commission Haussmann to execute his vision of transforming Paris from a medieval city into a modern one, however this meant modern in the content of the nineteenth century, where the goal was to upgrade to the technology and innovation at the time. Twentieth century modernism is a design style that aimed for simplicity, functionality, asymmetry and a design style that embraced industrialization and was for the masses, or workers. In connection to twentieth century modernism, this was a style that Haussmann’s work and style did not align with. Arguably, Haussmann did appreciate order and efficiency like modernism does, but the overwhelming majority of his work went against ideals of twentieth century, in that it included ornamentation and uniformity, as seen in apartment buildings; it included monumentality to enforce imperial rule and moreover, it pushes the masses out of the city center and became one for the bourgeoisie. Haussmann did more than reconstruct the shape and look of Paris-- he altered its character. Haussmann created a strategy that was more than broad boulevards and barracks in proximity to troublesome neighborhoods-- it pacified the city through the manipulation of urban space:
“The urbanization of Paris was nothing less than a transformation of the political and social geography and culture of the capital.” [1]
In evaluating the success of Haussmann’s planning in its progress towards twentieth century modernism, it is not an example of modernism like that of Le Corbusier’s plan for Paris, but being such an old city with rich culture and history, neither Le Corbusier nor Haussmann can shift Paris from its own character.