‘Soft Haussmannism’ beyond Europe at the turn of cultural decolonisation

The introduction aims to shape a premise highlighting some cultural roots of the Western approach to modernisation across various countries of Mediterranean area in the early decades of 20th Century. This approach emerged throughout the change that industrialisation and urbanisation had produced mostly in Western European cities. Paris, in particular, had established a turning point in this framework. By shaping the change within the ancient city, including its historic core and re-modelling it, the renewed Paris had been transformed beyond all expectation. But with many destructions and loss too. At the end of the most disruptive period, a reflection around urban functions, infrastructures, urban aesthetics, historic monuments and development tried to produce some alternative visions. Some French architects were part of this. We call this cultural turning point the post-Haussmann period, by re-defining it through the 'soft Haussmannism' as the related approach. The previous experience was never rejected. It was elaborated upon as a lesson learned, establishing a know-how capable of adapting to various conditions. Albeit with a variety of differences, this background fed their encounters in other countries and with other cultures. This said, their encounters with non-Western countries also created a need to reconsider their work from a non-European perspective.