Boulevard

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A typical boulevard in Valencia, California.

For the alcoholic beverage, see Boulevard Brewing Company.

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.

1 France
2 United States
3 Australia
4 Elsewhere
5 References

[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] United States

In many places in the United States, particularly California, developers have adapted the term to refer to any arterial roads, not necessarily boulevards in the conventional sense. Many so-called "boulevards" in California extend into the mountains, with 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 examples include:

Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Sunset Blvd. has rows of trees on both sides of the highway with a median. Also, Sunset Blvd. connects to local roads through the Sunset District.
The more famous Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, as well as Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire Blvd, Hollywood Blvd, also in Los Angeles

Throughout the United States, The Boulevard can refer to many things. The Cross Bay Boulevard in the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens, or Roosevelt Boulevard in the Northeast section of Philadelphia is a typical example of a 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.

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, MO has more boulevard miles than the city of Paris^{[citation needed]}. One such famous boulevard is Ward Parkway, which consists of fountains, statues, and vast quantities of grass and trees in the center.

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 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", generally being long, curvy two-lane roads in prestigious suburbs such as Ivanhoe and Caroline Springs.

[edit] Elsewhere

Boulevards in their various forms appear throughout the world. These include but are not limited to Cambodia<ref>China to Help Repair Mao Zedong Boulevard in Phnom Penh. China.org.cn. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.</ref>, and China<ref>Chang'an Boulevard. China.org.cn. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.</ref>.