Boulevard
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tidying up
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[[Image:Paris Champs Elysees westwards DSC03316.JPG|thumb|The Champs Élysées in Paris, France]]
'''Boulevard''' ([[French language|French]], from {{lang-nl|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 [[street name|type of road]], a '''boulevard''' (often abbreviated '''Blvd''') is usually a wide, multi-[[lane]] arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the center, and "roads" along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of [[landscaping]] and scenery. The division into peripheral roads for local use and a central main thoroughfare for regional traffic is a principal feature of the boulevard. Larger and busier boulevards usually feature a [[highway median|median]].
==International usage==
=== France ===
[[Baron Haussmann]] made such roads well-known in his re-shaping of [[Second French Empire|Second Empire]] [[Paris]] between 1853 and 1870. The French word ''boulevard'' originally referred to the flat summit of a [[Defensive wall|rampart]] (the etymology of the word distantly parallels that of ''[[Architectural glossary#B|bulwark]]''). Several Parisian boulevards replaced old city walls; more generally, boulevards encircle a city center, in contrast to [[street name|avenue]]s that radiate from the center. ''Boulevard'' is sometimes used to describe an elegantly wide road, such as those in Paris, approaching the [[Champs-Élysées]]. Famous French boulevards: [[Avenue Montaigne]], Montmartre, Invalides, [[Boulevard Haussmann]]. Frequenters of boulevards were sometimes called ''boulevardiers''
=== Germany ===
The [[Königsallee]] in [[Düsseldorf]] is internationally known for its many famous fashion stores located on the one side such as [[Gucci]], [[Chanel]], [[Hugo Boss]], [[Lacoste]] and 5 star hotels and banks on the other. The land price of one square meter is about 13500€.[[Image:Berlin karlmarxallee kl.jpg|thumb|upright|Karl Marx Allee in general view]] A notable boulevard in Berlin, the capital of Germany, is [[Karl-Marx-Allee]], which was built primarily in the 1950s in [[Stalinist Classicism]] 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 [[Strausberger Platz]], which has buildings in [[wedding-cake style]]. The boulevard is divided into various blocks. Between 1949 and 1989, it was the main center of [[East Berlin]]. The historically most important boulevard in Berlin is [[Unter den Linden]].
=== United States and Canada ===
In many places in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], [[Local government|municipalities]] and [[Real estate developer|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 are commonly 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]]. Many important thoroughfares in Los Angeles are boulevards.
In [[Chicago]], the [[Chicago boulevard system|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 [[Chicago Loop|The Loop]]. [[Queens Boulevard]], [[Woodhaven Boulevard]] and [[Cross Bay Boulevard]], all in the borough of [[Queens]], in [[New York City]], and [[Roosevelt Boulevard (Philadelphia)|Roosevelt Boulevard]] in the [[Northeast Philadelphia|Northeast]] section of [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] are typically referred to as “The Boulevard.” The section of Côte Saint-Luc Road that is located in [[Westmount]], a suburb of [[Montréal, Québec]], is also referred to as “The Boulevard,” as was the majority of [[Broadway (New York City)]] in the 19th century. [[Kansas City, Missouri]], is famous for having more boulevards and avenues in the world than any city (if the term is used lightly) except Paris, France. [[Image:Gogolevsky boulevard shot 02.jpg|thumb|The [[Boulevard Ring]] is [[Moscow]]’s centremost [[ring road]].]]
Nineteenth century [[parkway]]s, such as Brooklyn’s [[Ocean Parkway (Brooklyn)|Ocean Parkway]], were often built in the form of boulevards and are informally referred to as such. In some cities, however, the term “boulevard” does not specify a larger, wider, or more important road. “Boulevard” may simply be used as one of many words describing roads in communities containing multiple iterations of the same street name (such as in the [[Ranchlands, Calgary|Ranchlands]] district of [[Calgary]], where Ranchlands Boulevard exists side-by-side with Ranchlands Road, Ranchlands Court, Ranchlands Mews, etc.)
=== Australia ===
Melbourne has at least four roads named “the Boulevard.” These are, generally, long roads with many curves which wind alongside the [[Yarra River]].
In addition, the spelling of boulevard with an extra ‘e’ is common, for example the [[Southlands Boulevarde]] shopping centre in southern Sydney.
=== Israel ===
[[Tel Aviv]], established in 1909, was originally designed along the guidelines set out by [[architect]] Sir [[Patrick Geddes]]. Geddes designed a green or garden ring of boulevards surrounding the central city, which still exists today and continues to characterize Tel Aviv.
One of the most famous and busy streets in the city is [[Rothschild Boulevard]].
=== United Kingdom ===
Due to city planning and physical geography, the U.K. has a lack of boulevards. After the [[Great Fire of London]], [[London]] was supposed to be formed of straight boulevards, squares and plazas which are seen in [[mainland Europe]], but due to land ownership issues these plans never came to light. Boulevards in London are rare but examples, such as [[Blackfriars Road]], do exist. [[Milton Keynes]], [[Buckinghamshire]], is one of only a handful of examples where boulevards are a key feature. This is due to Milton Keynes being built as a modern [[new town]] in the 1960s.
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
image:Santaclaritaintersection.jpg|A typical boulevard in Valencia, California.
image:Charleston Blvd.png|[[Charleston Boulevard]] in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]] with the illuminated arterial roadways aligned in a checker-board pattern.
image:Las Vegas Strip.png|The Las Vegas Boulevard, also referred to as "The Strip" is perhaps one of the United States' most famous boulevards.
Image:Boulevard zandvoort.JPG|The sea boulevard of [[Zandvoort]], [[The Netherlands]]
</gallery>
==Alternative meanings==
'''[[Median|Central reservation]]''': 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 (road)|curb]] of concrete, to a wide strip of grass, to a thoroughly landscaped space of trees, [[shrub]]s, and other foliage; in urban areas, boulevards can also contain public [[art]] or [[memorial]]s. Wide boulevards also sometimes serve as rights-of-way for [[tram]]s or [[light rail]] systems. [[Kansas City, Missouri]], has more “boulevard” miles than the city of Paris{{Fact|date=February 2007}} (if the term is used lightly). One such famous boulevard is [[Ward Parkway]], which features fountains, statues, and vast quantities of grass and trees in the center.
[[Image:Oak Park Boulevard.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Tree Lawn, or Boulevard, in Oak Park, Illinois]]
'''[[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.
==Books==
*{{cite book |first=Allan B.|last=Jacobs|coauthors=Elizabeth Macdonald, Yodan Rofé|title=The Boulevard Book | year=2003 | publisher=[[The MIT Press]] | id=ISBN 0-262-60023-4}}
==References==
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{{Road types}}
[[Category:French loanwords]]
[[Category:French words and phrases]]
[[Category:Types of streets]]
[[bg:Булевард]]
[[de:Boulevard]]
[[es:Bulevar]]
[[fa:چارباغ]]
[[fr:Boulevard]]
[[it:Boulevard]]
[[nl:Boulevard]]
[[ja:ブールバール]]
[[pl:Bulwar]]
[[pt:Boulevard]]
[[ru:Бульвар]]
[[sv:Esplanad]]
[[uk:Бульвар]]