Boulevard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
Boulevard (French, from Dutch Bolwerk – bolwark, meaning bastion) has several generally accepted meanings. It was first introduced in the French language in 1435 as boloard and has since been altered into boulevard.
In this case, as a type of road, a boulevard is usually a wide, multi-lane arterial divided thoroughfare, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery.
Contents |
[edit] France
Baron Haussmann made such roads well-known in his re-shaping of Second Empire Paris between 1853 and 1870. The French word boulevard originally referred to the flat summit of a rampart (the etymology of the word distantly parallels that of bulwark). Several Parisian boulevards replaced old city walls; more generally, boulevards encircle a city center, in contrast to avenues that radiate from the center.
Boulevard is sometimes used to describe an elegantly wide road, such as those in Paris, approaching the Champs-Élysées.
[edit] Germany
Notable Boulevard in Berlin the capital of Germany is Karl-Marx-Allee that was built primarily in the 50s in Stalinist Clasicism architecture with decorative buildings. One Section of the Boulevard is more decorative while the other is more modern. In the center of the boulevard is the Strausburger Platz which has building in Wedding-Cake style. The boulevard is divided up into various blocks. During 1949–1989 it was the main center of East Berlin and it is today in the united Berlin.
[edit] United States and Canada
In many places in the United States and Canada, municipalities and developers have adapted the term to refer to arterial roads, not necessarily boulevards in the traditional sense.
In California, many so-called "boulevards" extend into the mountains as narrow, winding road segments only two lanes in width. However, boulevards can be any divided highway with at-grade intersections to local streets. They can commonly be abbreviated Blvd. Some celebrated examples in California include:
- Sunset Boulevard in San Francisco, which has rows of trees on both sides of the thoroughfare, and is bisected by a tree-filled median. It connects local streets throughout the Sunset District.
- The Los Angeles area's more famous Sunset Boulevard; Santa Monica Boulevard; Wilshire Boulevard; and Hollywood Boulevard.
In Chicago, the boulevard system is a network of wide, planted-median boulevards that winds through the south, west, and north sides of the city and includes a ring of parks. Most of the boulevards and parks are 3–6 miles from the Loop.
The Cross Bay Boulevard in the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens, and Roosevelt Boulevard in the Northeast section of Philadelphia are both referred to as "The Boulevard".
 A typical boulevard in Valencia, California. |
 Charleston Boulevard in Las Vegas, NV with the illuminated arterial roadways aligned in a checker-board pattern. |
 The Las Vegas Boulevard, also referred to as "The Strip" is perhaps one of the world's most famous Boulevards. |
[edit] Alternative Meanings
[edit] Median
Some people also use the term boulevard to refer to the division or central reservation in such a road, whether specifically in a "boulevard" in the above sense or not. It can consist of anything from a simple thick curb of concrete, to a wide strip of grass, to a thoroughly landscaped space of trees, shrubs, and other foliage; in urban areas, boulevards can also contain public art or memorials. Wide boulevards also sometimes serve as rights-of-way for trams or light rail systems. Kansas City, Missouri has more boulevard miles than the city of Paris[citation needed]. One such famous boulevard is Ward Parkway, which features fountains, statues, and vast quantities of grass and trees in the center.
[edit] Tree Lawn
Another use for the term boulevard is for a strip of grass between a sidewalk and a road, and located above a curb. Though in Europe the two are often adjacent, many residential neighbourhoods in the United States and Canada feature strips of grass or other greenery between the sidewalk and the road, placed in order to both beautify the street and to provide a buffer between vehicles and pedestrians.
[edit] Australia
Melbourne has at least 4 roads named "the Boulevard". These are generally long roads with many curves which wind alongside the Yarra River.
[edit] Elsewhere
Boulevards in their various forms appear throughout the world. These include but are not limited to Cambodia[1], and China[2].
[edit] Books
- Jacobs, Allan B.; Elizabeth Macdonald, Yodan Rofé (2003). The Boulevard Book. The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-60023-4.
[edit] References
- ^ China to Help Repair Mao Zedong Boulevard in Phnom Penh. China.org.cn. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
- ^ Chang'an Boulevard. China.org.cn. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
