Paris Reborn

December 17, 2012
The filthy, haphazardly arrayed Paris immortalized in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables gives way to the idealized tree-lined boulevards and planned building projects of the opulent Second French Empire, in urban architecture blogger Kirkland’s debut. Long before Robert Moses set about sculpting New York City, Baron Haussmann—with the blessings of Napoleon III (the Napoleon’s nephew)—transformed Paris from a medieval maze into a modern metropolis. While many of Haussmann’s changes—especially the long, straight, wide boulevards—have come to signify Paris in the popular mind, the metamorphosis was not without its attendant obstacles, including backroom deals, public outcry, and what many deemed prohibitively high costs. The greatest failures, however, were the new public housing developments—Napoleon III’s pet projects were ineffective, and builders rebelled against his vision. Their treatment is also the book’s greatest shortcoming: Kirkland glosses over root causes of lower class unrest and leaves unanswered questions regarding why the public housing didn’t satisfy its residents. Nevertheless, Kirkland is an able navigator of architectural history—vivid descriptions abound, and the evolution of the city’s infrastructure, public spaces, and other amenities is a testament to the oft overlooked reign of Napoleon III. Lovers of the City of Light and urban planners alike will find Kirkland’s survey illuminating. 8-page photo insert. Agent: William Clark, William Clark Associates.

December 15, 2012
A mildly revisionist history that gives principal credit for the modernization of Paris to the monarch rather than the prefect. Napoleon III was "the man who inspired and initiated [the] transformation of Paris," writes architect/historian Kirkland. By the time Georges-Eugene Haussmann became prefect of the Seine (responsible for the city's administration) in 1853, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte had already drafted his plans for transforming Paris from a medieval cluster of narrow, filthy streets into a modern metropolis with broad boulevards and proper sanitary facilities. He had also recently conducted a coup d'etat that transformed him from president to emperor; his plans did not include democracy. Haussmann had similarly autocratic instincts. He juggled accounts, avoiding pesky financial oversight from elected officials, and demolished historic neighborhoods. Haussmann's highhanded ways led to his dismissal in 1870, but by then his main projects were completed: a municipal sewer system, major avenues such as the Rue de Rivoli, parks like the Bois de Boulogne and the great central market at Les Halles. The huge sums of money necessary for these grands travaux required new methods of financing, and new capitalists like the Pereire brothers were happy to oblige. The railroad developers' bank, Credit Mobilier, funded most of the grands travaux, but its collapse in 1867 revealed the brazen corruption that was as much a part of the Second Empire as its ambitions. Kirkland evenhandedly assesses the projects' benefits and costs, concluding that most "could have been achieved in a more sensitive way, without such blind sacrifice of the city's historic character to the object of modernization." On the whole, however, he is admiring of the urban amenities built during this period, which still function to make Paris one of the world's most agreeable cities. Not as groundbreaking as the author imagines, but a solid retelling of an always-interesting tale of the first great urban-planning achievement.

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Starred review from March 1, 2013

Architect Kirkland's scrupulously researched account of the creation of modern Paris is unique in two respects. Kirkland focuses here on the vision of Napoleon III, who, in the author's opinion, deserves credit for imagining the grand design that his prefect of the Seine carried out. While not ignoring the regressive nature of the Second Empire, Kirkland presents Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte as an idealistic and visionary leader, a "new Augustus," committed to reshaping Paris for the new industrial age. This is his story as much as Hausmann's, though the prefect, per Kirkland, earned all the credit owing to his self-promotion. Kirkland's second unique approach presents the story from the viewpoint of an urban planner and public administrator, offering details not only of architectural projects, but of strategies to accomplish the grand design--financing, attention to real estate development, and newly emerging legal interpretations of eminent domain. He also discusses how these innovations affected city planning elsewhere, particularly in New York City. VERDICT Fascinating and highly readable, this is strongly recommended for Francophiles, travelers, and students of urban history and planning. Readers interested in this subject will also enjoy David P. Jordan's Transforming Paris: The Life and Labors of Baron Haussmann.--Marie M. Mullaney, Caldwell Coll., NJ

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2012
According to accepted wisdom, it was Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann, who during the reign of Emperor Napol'on III was the emperor's prefect of the Seine district (which included Paris), who wrested the French capital from its centuries-old squalor and transformed it into the Second Empire showcase of monumental beauty that we know today. Kirkland sees the situation a little differently, preferring to emphasize the importance of the emperor's own vision for elevating Paris to great heights of beauty and efficiency. In other words, Baron Haussmann actually took his cues from the emperor's wishes. Consequently, the story that this author tells, infusing a compelling narrative with vibrant information, begins with the advent of Louis-Napol'on Bonaparte, nephew of the first Emperor Napol'on, into French politics as he gained election to the presidency of the Second Republic. To that office, the junior Napol'on brought not only his distinguished name but also his great ambition for making Paris a capital worthy of French glory. Louis-Napol'on soon declared himself emperor and finally found in Baron Haussmann the man he was looking for, one who was capable of executing the emperor's grand plan.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)