The City of Light

Paris, the City of Light, has always been one of the most important and influential cities in the world. Located in the North-central part of France, in the region of Île de France, Paris is divided by the river Seine, forming two islands named île Saint-Louis and île de la Cité which are the oldest parts of the city. The city has continuously reconstructed itself throughout the centuries, changing according to its time. How were the major events such as colonialism, industrialization, organized and disorganized capitalism reflected throughout the spatial development of Paris?

The most important transformations of Paris were made during the Second Empire under the reign of Napoleon III who assigned the Baron Haussmann to redesign the city. Indeed, until the mid nineteenth century, the heart of Paris was still partly medieval-like, made up of numerous, small, narrow streets. The urban configuration, in addition to the lack of sewerage and running water was the cause of numerous diseases and general insalubrity. Furthermore, the considerable population growth and rural exodus of the 18th century over-crowded the city center with a rather poor population. Moreover, this period was characterized by political unrest, and the narrow streets of Paris were easy to barricade. The pauperization of the center and the risk of political uprisings were the main causes of the big works of Haussmann which took place from 1852 to 1870. Thus, Haussmann built long and large avenues all throughout the city, which would be much more practical for the circulation. The city slaughterhouses and cemeteries were sanitized and moved out of the center and a sewerage system and running water was put in place, all of which contributed to a cleaner, healthier city. Haussmann also highlighted various monuments which were important to its heritage. (Daniel Noin, Paris 1997)

fig. 1 : map of the transformations done by Haussmann.

The spatial organization of Paris has