For la Nuit des Idées, Umberto Napolitano was invited to reflect on Haussmanian Paris as a model of a city of the future.

What are the profound characteristics of the Haussmannian city? Beyond the monotony and sometimes extreme proximity, Paris remains a model for today: we walk a lot (almost half of the trips are made on foot), the intelligence of the construction of the blocks of buildings makes its high density acceptable, diversity, the heart of a collective project, is favored by this density, and it gives off a real identity, as a structure which can embody a collective memory.

Listen to the entire presentation here