page_title: Musée social
section_title: Influence
hierarchical_section_title: Musée social / Influence
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Projet de boulevard à Redans.
context_page_description: The Musée social was a private French institution founded in 1894. In the early twentieth century it became an important center of research into topics such as city planning, social housing and labor organization. For many years it played an important role in influencing government policy.
context_section_description: The staff of the Musée social had diverse views, but were generally in favor of reform, and were influential in inspiring many parliamentary bills.
  At one time the institute was called "the antechamber of the House." The most conspicuous role of the institute was in bills related to urban planning, including maintaining a green belt around Pairs where the old fortifications had stood, managing the expansion of cities and providing social housing.
  Between 1894 and 1914 over 500 members of the Musée social wrote leaflets and brochures, gave lectures, studied conditions abroad and responded to all requests.
  In 1900 the Musée social gave 1,200 written replies and 3,299 oral consultations. Under pressure from economists and the followers of Louis Pasteur the institute moved from supporting a philanthropic approach to handling social issues to one of greater state intervention.
  In 1903 the architect and influential urban planner Eugène Hénard proposed using the land reserved for the obsolete Paris fortifications as the basis for a belt of parks.
  Hénard wanted to develop better radial thoroughfares, and to take the opportunity presented by demolition of the old city fortifications to build a ring road and new parks and housing.
  This was supported by the Musée Social, which in 1910 asked citizens to vote in the forthcoming elections for candidates who backed the parkland and urban conservation programs.
  In 1908 Hénard headed one of two committees of the Musee Social.
  His committee was responsible for identifying urban and rural hygiene problems and proposing solutions, while the other committee was to draft legislation and find legal methods for implementing his group's proposals.
  In November 1911 Henri Prost was assigned to assist Hénard, since he was in poor health.
  Hénard proposed new housing units with a staggered arrangement so as to maximize the light received by each apartment and to create more recreational space.
  He received strong support from the Musée Social and from other urban planners, but was opposed by real estate investors who feared the impact of his planned 75,000 apartment units.  After World War I (1914-1918) most of the fortifications area that was to be used for his projects was instead sold in independent parcels to various developers.
caption: Stepped boulevard design advocated by Eugène Hénard to create more green space in the city
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