Haussmann, Sitte and Streetscapes

Adriano Zarosinski 699102

Modern urban planning has been influenced by the work of both Baron Haussmann and Camillo Sitte. Haussmann, employed by Napoleon III, was the father of the renewal of Paris, creating “Nouveau Paris” (Van Zanten, 1994). Sitte, on the other hand, was an Austrian architect and painter who has had a significant impact on modern city planning through his extensive research and writings (Collins & Collins, 1965). Each of their theories for the ideal streetscape is a reflection of their upbringing and education. Although Haussmann and Sitte had contrasting visions for the structure of a city, urban planners of today can learn and benefit from their historical perspectives and writings. This essay will compare and contrast the two masters’ theories, analysing their impact on their respective cities.

Baron Haussmann was born in Paris in 1809 into a politically driven family. His heritage led him to pursue a Bachelor of Arts and a Doctorate in Law (Richardson, 1975). Leading up to his most significant impression on modern Paris, Haussmann served as sous-préfet for a number of provincial French towns. In 1853, Napoleon III called upon Haussmann and handed him a map detailing a new network of streets through Paris, colour-coded in terms of importance; Haussmann was appointed as Prefect of the Seine (Figure 1)(Van Zanten, 1994). It was from this moment onwards that Paris underwent the largest urban renewal project in the history of Western Europe (Jordan, 1992). Paris was a city with an established history and a solid socioeconomic structure meaning that the transformations to the city that Haussmann facilitated had already been set in motion. The renewal of Paris was a response to a number of problems: there was a need for imperial monuments around the city to be linked and framed, under new capitalist economic forces the city had to adapt to create a place for the exchange of goods, for industry and for luxury and the city had to be redesigned to create a picturesque consistency through the inclusion and juxtaposition of form.

Furthermore, the renewal of the streetscape of Paris was a response to the various insurrections that had occurred in the early nineteenth century. “Nouveau Paris” was to demolish buildings and create large boulevards and barracks that would not eradicate riots, such as the Three Glorious Days revolution of 1830, The February Days of the 1848 revolutions as well as insurrections that occurred in 1834 and 1848, but contain them (Jordan, 1992). The demolition of houses, amongst which was the house where Haussmann grew up, drove out the “dangerous classes” – the bourgeoisie and the urban poor – making the centre of Paris a place for the middle class. This gentrification of the city facilitated political control over it, preventing the overthrowing Napoleon III’s government (Jordan, 1992). Haussmann’s work in terms of structure and infrastructure accommodated the rapid growth of Paris, doubling its area into 20 arrondissements, which it is still defined by today (Van Zanten, 1994). Having no formal education in architecture or design, Haussmann drew most of his inspiration from his experience in Bordeaux, living in a city that had been transformed in the eighteenth century through the instalment of large boulevards (Jordan, 1992).

In Vienna, 1843, Camillo Sitte was born to the German Bohemian artist and architect, Franz Sitte, and his wife Theresia Schabes. Growing up in an artistic environment, Sitte followed in his father’s footsteps, attending the Technische Hochschule between 1863 and 1868 and pursuing studies in art-history and archaeology (Collins & Collins, 1965). This artistic background is what formed the basis of his work in defining urban planning. Sitte furthered his education on cities through visits to Germany, Italy, France, Greece, Asia Minor, Constantinople and Egypt (Collins & Collins, 1965). Under Sitte’s framework for city planning, aesthetic was the key. His non-conformist approach rebelled against the popularisation of medieval architecture, popularised by his father’s generation, by promoting traditional renaissance architecture (Collins & Collins, 1965).

While Haussmann’s design for Paris opened up public squares with intersecting boulevards to encourage the movement of fresh air through the space, Sitte saw public squares as an outdoor room. Haussmann’s Nouveau Paris monumentalised structures within the city, while Sitte’s conjectured that landmarks should be situated to the side of the piazza as to not obstruct the view from one side of the area to the other (Figure 2)(Relph, 1987). Sitte emphasised  the idea that architecture and urban planning should not cross disciplines. The design of a building should be facilitated by its private owners, while city planners focus on the city as a whole (Collins & Collins, 1965). In this fashion, the aesthetic of a streetscape came as a result of the picturesque amalgamation of various architectural styles. During his life, Sitte wrote a number of lectures, manuscripts and articles, although his most well-known and influential works was his book “City Planning According to Artistic Principles”, 1889 (Collins & Collins, 1965).

Sitte’s research and influence on city planning is embodied by a repertoire of literature providing a theoretical basis of inspiration. Haussmann, on the other hand, provides a practical example of a style of urban planning through his renovation of old Paris (Koshar, 1998). The two provide historical examples that can be translated into the modern era, and potentially hold the answers to problems faced by contemporary cities. From analysing Haussmann’s and Sitte’s work on urban planning, it can be seen that a planner’s background strongly influences the way they resolve a city’s problem. While Haussmann’s political and legal background reflects a city structure that is ordered and centred around the safety and strength of the city, Sitte’s ideal city is one that reflects aesthetic beauty and complexity. Although Houssmann’s plans for Paris lead to its prosperity through its functionality, there is a sense of coldness in the façade of the buildings along boulevards in Paris as they are clinically uniform – seven storeys high with the same external appearance (Van Zanten, 1994). Contrary to this, Sitte concentrates on the appearance of the city, with many recognised works of art and architecture, however, this purely aesthetic focus may not translate appropriately to the plan of a city as it appears to neglect functionality.

In modern urban planning, these two traditional city planners provide the basis of inspiration. Although each city’s design varies depending on the location, topography of the land, function of the city, population size and the cultural heritage, the underlying theory of both Haussmann’s and Sitte’s work can be adopted. As is the nature of development, Haussmann and Sitte drew inspiration from their predecessors, teachers and experiences, likewise future city planners drew inspiration from their work.

References

Collins, G. R. & Collins, C. C. (1965). Camillo Sitte and the Birth of Modern City Planning. New York, United States: Random House.

Jordan, D. P. (1992). The City: Baron Haussmann and Modern Paris. The American Scholar 61(1), 99-106. 

Koshar, R. (1998). Germany’s Transient Pasts: Preservations and National Memory in the Twentieth Century. North Carolina, United States: University of North Carolina Press.

Relph, E. C. (1987). The Modern Landscape: 1880 to the present. Maryland, United States: John Hopkins University Press.

Richardson, J. (1975). Emperor of Paris Baron Haussmann 1809-1891. History Today, 25(12), 843-849.

Van Zanten, D. (1994). Building Paris: Architectural Institutions and the Transformation of the French Capital. Cambridge, England: Cambridge Univeristy Press.

Figure 1: Map of Modern Paris with the main boulevards added by Haussmann indicated in red. Retrieved from: http://www.museumofthecity.org/haussmann-and-revival-of-paris/

Figure 2: Camillo Sitte’s study of medieval piazzas. Retrieved from: http://www.grids-blog.com/wordpress/otto-wagner-designing-the-city/