The common notion of the “medieval city” in Paris was another excuse to alienate and marginalize the urban poor through the demotion of the slums in Paris. This type of cultural propaganda was part of the rush towards removing the slums as a direct threat to the “beauty” of this city. Naturally, the city of Paris was, in essence, a very old city that had many of its roots in medieval urban design. In some cases, streets were non-linear and neighborhoods appeared to have remnants of clustered buildings that blocked a more fluid mobility in the city. The upper classes in Napoleon III regime often propagandized the “medieval city” argument not in terms of the clogged streets, disease, and poor sewage systems, but in the overarching focus of the …show more content…
Napoleon III would inevitably relocate the lower working classes to other parts of the city, which would be remove the threat of the poor as an eyesore to the city and more, importantly, as a revolutionary threat against the government. Surely, Bonaparte III sought to create boulevards to make it easier for troops to quell lower class revolutions, but it also defined Haussmann’s gentrification project as part of the beautification of the city center (Brown-Saracino, 2013, p.32). In this manner the process of gentrification was always promoted through “modern” argument that the medieval slums were the primary barrier for Paris as a first world urban city, yet it was also clear that the removal of the working poor was merely a cosmetic way to remove the problem of class divisions and social uprising in the heart of the city.
Haussmann’s demolition of the slums also expresses the relocation of the working poor as part of a cosmetic approach to improving the image of Paris as a modern city. Ideally, the modernization of Paris was meant to promote the advancement of life for all French people, but the underlying reality was the promotion of a more sanitized and less threatening view of the working poor. More so, Napoleon III and Haussmann simply removed the dislocated members of the lower classes to other parts
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Certainly, this perception of modern Paris was part of the overarching social uprisings that occurred to oppose Haussmann during the demolition phases, which reflect the gentrified ideology of Napoleon III’s regime: “Old Paris” at its seediest was also the refuge of outcasts and the wretched poor—Parisians far removed from the fashions and mobility of the “world capital” pacesetters” (Rearick, 2011, p.22). Surely, this ideology would invariably set the trend for other European cities, which could create two objectives in a single urban renovation policy: (1) remove and relocate the working poor from the city, and (2) replace lower income housing with middle and upper class housing. In this manner, Haussmann’s slum demolitions would become part of a more hegemonic European style of urban planning, which would also be in used in cities, such as Vancouver, as a precedent for gentrification and class division in city
Another noteworthy urban sociologist that’s invested significant research and time into gentrification is Saskia Sassen, among other topical analysis including globalization. “Gentrification was initially understood as the rehabilitation of decaying and low-income housing by middle-class outsiders in central cities. In the late 1970s a broader conceptualization of the process began to emerge, and by the early 1980s new scholarship had developed a far broader meaning of gentrification, linking it with processes of spatial, economic and social restructuring.” (Sassen 1991: 255). This account is an extract from an influential book that extended beyond the field of gentrification and summarizes its basis proficiently. In more recent and localized media, the release the documentary-film ‘In Jackson Heights’ portrayed the devastation that gentrification is causing as it plagues through Jackson Heights, Queens. One of the local businessmen interviewed is shop owner Don Tobon, stating "We live in a
The article explains that gentrification of City of Toronto is “a socio-spatial process that is highly unsustainable and socially unjust.” The author explains that the condominium boom is the result of the municipal and provincial policies incorporated to waterfront Toronto, which transforms the existing urban fabric of the city. The article argues that City of Toronto needs to
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels see the French revolution as a great achievement in human history. However they also discuss serious criticisms of it. Marx and Engels discussed the struggle between two distinct social groups during the French Revolution which are the city poor and the privileged classes and what happens when power fell into the hands of the revolutionary “petty bourgeoisie” and the paris workers creating a class struggle and it impact on political issues . This essay will explain how Marx and Engels view the French revolution and their analysis of the revolution’s achievements and shortcomings.This essay will also apply their analysis of the French
Mystique Caston Ms. Jefferson English 22 february 2016 Gentrification and Chicago Gentrification and chicago “Gentrification refers to trends in the neighborhood development that tend to attract more affluent residents, and in the instances concentrates scale commercial investment. ”(Bennet,).This means that gentrification can change how a neighborhood is ran or even how much income the community takes in depending on what businesses come in and what class of people decide to invest into that community. In this paper i will be discussing gentrification and and poverty, pros and cons of gentrification, relationships due to gentrification, conflict due to gentrification, reactions/ feelings or of small business owners about
Two-hundred and ten years ago, the country of France was rapidly changing, whether for better or for worse was not yet known. At this time, young Napoleon Bonaparte was leading his fledgling empire in France. He was challenging all the laid down rules and regulations that had been in place within his country and Europe for hundreds of years. This year, however, he would enact a set of laws known as the Civil Code, which was later called the Napoleonic Code. This set of laws was one of Napoleon’s longest lasting effects on the world, as it “is still in effect today, and has served as the model for many other national codes, especially in Europe” (Princeton Review). It was this set of laws that laid down rules and guidelines that are seen as normal in a modern day sense, such as that all men are equal. These concepts were brand new to the period, and no leader had ever allowed such idea to be enacted. It went against what the kings and queens in Europe had fought so hard to maintain, the idea that aristocrats and priests were above commoners, and more importantly, above the law. The Civil Code would forever change the way the French governed their people, and how those people were represented in their government. One of the most significant aspects of it was that it protected private property, as well as restoring power to the males of the family. At this time, France was a country where you were born into your wealth and social status. However, this all changed with the Napoleonic Code as well. The society began moving towards a “merit-based society in which individuals qualify for education and employment because of talent rather than birth or social standing” (Bentley pg. 792). Among other things, the code improved education with...
Jürgen Friedrich describes the phenomenon gentrification as the replacement of a lower class through a higher class society. (1)
The phrase Paris capital of modernity refers to the time in the second half of the nineteenth century when Paris was considered one of the most innovative cities in the world. This was largely a result of Haussmann’s renovation of the city between 1851 and 1869. A Prefect of Paris under Napoleon III, he transformed Paris into a city with wide streets, new shops and cafes, and a unified architecture.
During the last half of the 1800’s and the early part of the 1900’s urban population in western Europe made enormous increases. During this period France’s overall population living in cities increased twenty percent, and in Germany the increase was almost thirty percent. This great flow of people into cities created many problems in resource demands and patterns of urban life. These demands created a revolution in sanitation and medicine. Part of this revolution was the redesigning of cities. G.E. Baron Von Haussmann was the genius behind the new plans for the city of Paris.
Gentrification In Houston, New York, Chicago, and other major urban cities of the United States, gentrification is becoming a major talking point. Though, gentrification is becoming something big, not that many people who speak about it are clearly aware of the subject, they just know it is going on. In this paper, I will briefly describe gentrification, and will mainly use Immanuel Kant’s theory to analyze why gentrification is wrong, whilst also comparing it to the utilitarian approach to gentrification. Gentrification is a complicated term that gets defined in many ways by people that do not understand it; the term usually ends up being romanticized instead. It often gets defined by various people as the renovation of lower income neighborhoods to make them safer or “cleaner”.
Gentrification is the keystone for the progression of the basic standards of living in urban environments. A prerequisite for the advancement of urban areas is an improvement of housing, dining, and general social services. One of the most revered and illustrious examples of gentrification in an urban setting is New York City. New York City’s gentrification projects are seen as a model for gentrification for not only America, but also the rest of the world. Gentrification in an urban setting is much more complex and has deeper ramifications than seen at face value. With changes in housing, modifications to the quality of life in the surrounding area must be considered as well. Constant lifestyle changes in a community can push out life-time
In contrast to the negatives of gentrification, some people view gentrification as a the only effective way to “revitalize” low-income urban communities. In the article, “Gentrification: A Positive Good For Communities” Turman situates the piece around the opinion that gentrification is not as awful as the negative connotation surrounding it. Furthermore, he attempts to dispel the negative aspects of gentrification by pointing out how some of them are nonexistent. To accomplish this, Turman exemplifies how gentrification could positively impact neighborhoods like Third Ward (a ‘dangerous’ neighborhood in Houston, Texas).Throughout the article, Turman provides copious examples of how gentrification can positively change urban communities, expressing that “gentrification can produce desirable effects upon a community such as a reduced crime rate, investment in the infrastructure of an area and increased economic activity in neighborhoods which gentrify”. Furthermore, he opportunistically uses the Third Ward as an example, which he describes as “the 15th most dangerous neighborhood in the country” and “synonymous with crime”, as an example of an area that could “need the change that gentrification provides”. Consequently, he argues with
In discussions of Gentrification, one controversial issue has been with displacement. Gentrification is the process of renovating and repairing a house or district so that it complies to wealthier residents (Biro, 2007, p. 42). Displacement is a result of gentrification, and is a major issue for lower income families. Gentrification is causing lower-income residents to move out of their apartments because they’re being displaced by upper class residents who can afford high rent prices and more successful businesses. Throughout out the essay, I will discuss how gentrification affects lower income residents and how it results in displacement. Then I will follow on by discussing some positive and negative effects that take place because of Gentrification.
Gentrification is described as the renovation of certain neighborhoods in order to accommodate to young workers and the middle-class. For an area to be considered gentrified, a neighborhood must meet a certain median home value and hold a percentage of adults earning Bachelor’s degree. Philadelphia’s gentrification rate is among the top in the nation; different neighborhoods have pushed for gentrification and have seen immense changes as a result. However, deciding on whether or not gentrification is a beneficial process can become complicated. Various groups of people believe that cities should implementing policy on advancing gentrification, and others believe that this process shouldn’t executed. Both sides are impacted by the decision to progress gentrification; it is unclear of the true implications of completely renovating impoverished urban areas; gentrification surely doesn’t solve all of a community’s issues. I personally believe that gentrification is not necessarily a good or bad process; gentrification should occur as a natural progression of innovative economies and novel lifestyles collide within certain areas. Policy involving gentrification should not support the removal of people out of their neighborhood for the sake of advancement.
Wolf, Peter M. Eugene Hénard and the beginning of urbanism in Paris 1900-1914. New York: P.M.W., 1968. 29-33.
Haussmann separated the city by making it into a geometric grid, with the majority of his "Grands Boulevards" running east to west and north to south. This plan brought a new symmetry to Paris, which it desperately needed. The narrow, winding streets that Paris was kn...