The integration of the national space of France had long been on the agenda. But by 1850, “the implantation of the structures and methods of modern large scale capitalism rendered the conquest and rational organization of space, its better adaptation to new needs, imperative.”1 The amelioration of the interior space of Paris had, as we have seen (chapter 2), been sporadically debated and partially acted upon throughout the July Monarchy. By 1850, it had become imperative. Louis Napoleon was prepared to act on both counts. As early as December 1850, he spoke directly of the need to make every effort to embellish the city and ameliorate the living conditions of its inhabitants. We will, he said, “open new roads, open up popular quarters which lack air and light so that sunlight may penetrate everywhere among the walls of the city just as the light of truth illuminates our hearts.” On October 9, 1852, he signaled the forthcoming declaration of an Empire dedicated to peaceful works. “We have,” he declared, “immense uncultivated lands to clear, roads to open, harbors to excavate, rivers to make navigable, canals to finish, our railway network to complete.”2 The echoes of Saint-Simonian doctrine were unmistakable. On June 23, 1853, Haussmann took office as Prefect of the Department of the Seine with a mandate to remake the city according to plan.