2."How do I define a street"?
For the purposes of my mission, I decided to include all the “streets” listed in
Paris Circulation. All 5,615 of them.
In my walks I encountered a myriad of not just rues, but Avenues, Boulevards,
Passages, Cités, Alleés and others, including the busy Périphérique, i.e.
Rue – The French term for a streets in general, and medium sizes streets in
particular, usually but not always, smaller than a Boulevard or Avenue, and
larger that the villas, passages, etc.
Avenue – A large arterial, usually radiating out from the center with multiple
lanes.
Boulevard – Broad, with several lanes circling the center of the city, often
tracing the outlines of the ancient fortifying walls. There is a unique circle of
especially busy boulevards (all named after Generals) just inside of the
Peripherique.
Le Périphérique – the Expressway that defines the perimeter of present day
Paris.
Passage – a small, sometimes very narrow lane
Impasse – a small cul-de-sac, quite often gated and locked
Cité – “estate”, a small enclosed courtyard, also very often locked
Villa – a small, short street
Arcade – a covered shopping area, predecessor to the modern enclosed
shopping center, often dating from the nineteenth century
Gallerie – similar to an Arcade, but more contemporary
Place – an open area that is often small and charming, but can also be
enormous when located at the confluence of major Avenues and Boulevards
Square – also an open area, sometimes the focus of a neighborhood, or quartier
Porte –
(1) large, heavily trafficked intersections located around the perimeter of
Paris allowing access to the Peripherique, or exit out of Paris proper
(2) the sometimes ancient openings in the more central historic rings of
walls that surrounded Paris in the past
Cour – courtyard, usually a private area
Parvis – a forecourt, usually of a church
Parc – a park; always beautiful and well maintained in Paris, no matter in what
kind of neighborhood
Jardin – a garden; it may be large and grandiose, or small and intimate
Promenade – a landscaped walkway, often raised.
Division – a lane in a cemetery
Escalier – a public stairway
Pont – Bridge
Quai –located beside a body of water
Port – a quayside segment a waterway
Canal – just that
Bassin – a still basin or part of a canal
(My) Definitions, Rules, and Procedures
|
The flâneur wanders through a wonderland of his own construction, imposing himself upon a shop
window here, a vagrant here, and an advertisement here. He flows like thought through his physical
surroundings, walking in a meditative trance.*
|
He preferred the rich ambiguity of images to the rigor of systematic thought.
He was a Flâneur. **
|
I use the boundaries as affixed in the defining guide to Paris: Paris Circulation.
The “Périphérique”, a circular freeway surrounding the city generally defines the perimeter of
Paris; but there are a few just outside of it that are technically in Paris. I include these in my
definition.
There is some question as to whether to include the large adjacent parks, the Bois de Boulogne and
the Bois de Vincennes. I plan to walk those park lanes indicated in the guide after I have finished
the twenty arrondissements.
The business district of La Defense is not a part of Paris proper, and thankfully is not included in
my walks.
I had to define my quest so that I could be confident that when I had finished, my goal had really
been attained.
1. How do I define Paris?
