Paris went from a city that hadn't changed in a thousand years to the City of Light in about 15 years. What it got right and wrong still applies to housing today.
Priced out of the city you work in, and told nothing can change because every old building is sacred? London has turned itself into a museum, and the middle class is paying the entry fee.
David Pralong takes you back to Baron Haussmann's rebuild of Paris under Napoleon III. You'll hear what worked, what nearly bankrupted the state, and what pushed the poor out of the city. Then he applies it to London today, using his SPADE levers to show how standardisation and density could put affordable housing back within reach.
Expect urban planning history, a frank look at who blocks new homes, and a direct pitch to the homeowners who hold the votes. This is for anyone who cares about London housing and wants arguments built on precedent. If you want a defence of the planning status quo, look elsewhere.
Key Takeaways
- Haussmann's first model was buy, demolish, rebuild, sell. It swallowed capital and bred corruption, until a private development model took over with no public money at all.
- Standardisation built Paris's most loved streets. The same intellectuals who fought it would now defend the result, which is a warning for anyone proposing change today.
- Paris got density and standardisation right, then failed on protection and enforcement. The result was speculative bubbles and the poorer classes pushed out.
- David's case for making development "boring again": when everyone knows what they can build, risk falls and so does the price.
Chapter Markers
00:00 Why Paris holds lessons for housing today
00:56 Napoleon III, Haussmann and the real motive
04:27 Buy, demolish, rebuild: the state's costly model
06:06 Paris before and after the rebuild
08:48 The London rivalry and the City of Light
11:04 Standardisation, backlash and the commune model
14:39 Where Paris succeeded and failed on SPADE
17:40 How a Haussmann moment works in a democracy
20:14 Making development boring again
23:32 Museum or living city: what we keep
26:45 Who blocks new homes, and why
31:04 The argument to boomers and homeowners
Useful Links & Resources
- Maya Capital: https://www.maya-cap.com/
- David Pralong on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pralong-bb7a09/
Connect With the Show
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Maya-Cap
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NpuI114H9c4QmfC4R09Pd
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/priced-out-with-david-pralong/id6821938508
David argues that 60 to 80% of a city's buildings can be brought into the present. Which buildings in your city would you protect, and which would you replace? Tell us in the comments, and send your questions for David's next episode.
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