The Influence of Urban Cities
The urban cities often have a symbolic function to the cultural, political and the economic lifestyle of the inhabitants. Cities are often commercial and cultural hubs that carry a certain form of imagery and identification to a place. The imagery not only focusses on the outlook of the city but creates a form of affiliation to the city by those who come in contact with it. With the dawn of the 19th century when Europe was industrializing social reformers and social scientists sought to understand the functionalities and the backlash effect of the development in cities and its resultant effect to the overall image and lifestyles of the people as well as the immediate environment. The luminous and artistic outlook of the contemporary Paris is as a result of the creations of Baron Haussmann's artistic impression under the tyrannical rule of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte so as to serve social, economic and political ends of the bourgeoisies.
The Creation of the Present Paris
The appearance of the present Paris emanated from the impressionist's depiction of the 19th century that depicted Paris as a center for art, music, leisure and love. Haussmann for instance created large boulevards that were next to cafes and residential places so as to create an artistic display of Paris. In the later interviews of his life, he affirms that the boulevards are theatrical spaces and not mere streets but have the sole purpose of creating an impressive view while at the same time creating a form of national heritage (Hutt 2007). "Haussmannization" as it is popularly known served the function of relieving the city's bourgeoisies the burden of having to resist the constant pressure and intrusion from the "un-empowered" population. Some social scientists argue that the real motive behind the reconstruction of Paris was to create ample space for the marching of brigades so as to have a better military strategy in the event of civil unrest which were common in Paris at the time. However, additional reasons for Haussmann's reconstruction included the eradication of slum dwellings, improving traffic and promoting public health among other reasons.
The Burden and Blame of Reconstruction
Although Haussmann received great recommendations for reconstructing Paris, he equally shouldered the great burden and blame for destroying the old face of Paris. Kirkland (2014) states that the reconstruction process was equally expensive and taxing to the poor masses of Paris who were strategically displaced from the city's capital and relocated to the outskirts of the famous city "circle" created for the bourgeoisie's class by Haussmann. With the improvement of the sewer systems, the roads, neighborhoods, and the parks, Paris earned the title of an outdoor city which had adequate space accompanied by a light atmosphere (Rice 2000). Paris earned the title of "life in the open space" as it had numerous outdoor activities. However, there were constant wrangles and struggles between the classes especially in the settlement areas such as the newly created apartments. The reconstruction and development of modern technology into the planning of Paris influenced various cities and countries across the world like the U.S.A which also adopted similar tactics of reconstruction after the end of the second world war. The city of Paris is not a mere alignment of buildings and roads but it tells the story of a social, economic and political history that has attached life and meaning to the existence and influence of the city life to those that come in contact with it.
References
Hutter, M. (2007). Experiencing cities: A global approach. Boston, Mass: Allyn and Bacon.
Kirkland, S. (2014). Paris reborn: Napoléon III, Baron Haussmann, and the quest to build a modern city. New York, NY: Picador USA.
Rice, S. (2000). Parisian views. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
