URBAN SCALE DESIGN human waste, these sewers helped eliminate the vast pools of stagnant and feted water left on the streets, creating dryer and healthier living conditions for all. Haussmann and Napoleon had taken previous infrastructure experiences and sought to learn from them. In the case of the not so old Rue de Ramberteau; it had not been constructed wide enough, houses were small and inconvenient, as not enough land was acquired. The more land acquired the better, as the slum land was cheap to buy and its resale value would enable the City to recoup some of the betterment value that would result from its investment efforts26. Law had coded expropriation in 1807; limitations created such that properties acquired that were not needed for the works should be restored to the owner. This law was changed on May 3, 1841, where expropriation was deemed reasonable if for public works, railroads. Modified again in 1852, which allowed the expropriation of all properties for street works, allowing for enough land to be bought in order to build rows of houses on both sides of a street27. Throughout the renovation, Paris’ revenue jumped from 42 million francs in 1840 to 146 million francs in 1869(with new infrastructure and annexation of periphery units)28 yet, over the years a rising inflation (land was 866 francs per m/sq in 1858 vs its 1595 francs per m/sq cost in 1866)29 and the Conseil d’Etats ruling of 1858, ultimately saw the demise of Haussmann. With the council’s ruling, property owners were able to claim full compensation for the displacement of their commercial interests, and that owners could 140
maintain procession of the land outside of the improvement lines, thus making the city pay more to purchase the extra parcels of land. As this slowed down the process of acquiring land, affecting construction as it could not advance at the rate it previously had. Thus with the newly constructed elements brought an increase in price to the surrounding buildings in Paris, making the process more expensive as it went along. Critiqued for the creation of a wardrobe effect; that of the long fronted boulevards receiving all the new construction and grand looks, opening onto a network of disorder and havoc behind the so-called “doors” of the city, Haussmann’s plan, although destroying large chunks of the city, kept the cities nature and history intact behind the newly built form. It allowed for the lower classes to be kept for the most part unfazed by his ideals as it kept the smaller shops and merchants, peoples businesses, intact; satisfying the bourgeois that utilized these industries. To further accommodate for the loss in working class housing, efforts were set up to negate the negative effects on the government. In 1849, Paris Assitance Publique set to provide jobs in the rail, fortification, and public works/building trade sectors. Whilst in 1853, the Caisse de la Boulangerie was setup to provide cheap food for the working class following bad harvests30. These moves were essential in helping to maintain the social, political, and historical balance within the city. Finally, as CIAM was not to be considered for another ninety years, this project might be largely viewed as a precursor
Figure 4 - (Top) Plan of Proposed Streets Figure 5 - (Bottom) Proposed demolton for the Rue de l’Opera