L'Enfant Plan

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/lenfant-plan

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the designer?Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a French artist and military engineer
2. What is the year of conception?1791
3. Why did Pierre Charles L'Enfant design Washington like a big picture?L'Enfant wanted Washington to feel powerful and proud, like a big picture that shows the new country's strength. He used fancy European ideas to make the capital beautiful and meaningful.
4. How does the L'Enfant Plan use streets and squares?The plan puts wide streets that cross at important buildings, like the White House and Capitol, and adds open squares where people can play and celebrate. This makes the city easy to travel and fun to visit.

Baroque Urban Planning: A style of city design characterized by grand avenues, radial layouts, and monumental architecture, emphasizing order and spectacle.
Cartesian Grid System: A city layout based on a network of perpendicular streets, forming rectangular blocks, named after philosopher René Descartes.
Axiality: The principle of designing urban spaces around strong, linear axes or lines of sight, often leading to prominent buildings or monuments.
Vistas: Long, unobstructed views, often strategically framed by architectural elements or urban layouts to enhance visual impact and spatial experience.