Paris Gentrification

Paris Gentrification

The concept of creative city is a popular idea that lingers in the discussions among the urban policy-makers as well as the researchers. Ideally, the concept is two-fold; academic and literature explain the pertinence of creativity in planning of cities with emphasis on the innovation strategies, while the other side practically implements the plans set up the creative schemes. In the real sense, there is little to no link between these two levels of the creative city concept which is rather extemporized. Most early cities experienced the challenge of gaps between hypothetical cities and the practical implementation of the plans. It all comes down to the conversion of conceptual intuitions into an intricate operative methodology that is suitable for local practice. This paper walks us through the gentrification of Paris, which is one of the earliest cities founded on the concept of creative city theory. It analyzes the theory on three levels in relation to the city of Paris: (a) the positioning of Paris’s present creative spaces and the communities within that region in the context of the social and economic structures, urban chronicles, as well as the prevalent frameworks of governance along with the analytical systems; (b) an evaluation of the three-dimensional, public, symbolic, and cultural qualities of creative production and consumption; (c) identification of the effective options for policy interposition.

Gentrification refers to the reorganization of a city to suit the taste and needs of the middle class of the economy. The gentrification of Paris has been in place for centuries. However, the city was swept by the most recent wave of gentrification in the 1970s. The succeeding five decades have seen it transform into a city that is barely recognizable. Previously, the cities that had once been considered the turfs of the working class citizens as well as the poorer communities were in the outer fringes of Paris. In the present day, the exorbitant rates fueled by the encroachment of gentrification has compelled the people to migrate further away from the city. The efforts of gentrification are centered in the focal and more prosperous core of the city. Demolishing blame implies navigating a complex web of forces at work. During the nineteenth century, the city underwent a destructive transformation that saw drastic change in the city. The crowded and unsanitary medieval streets were destroyed to pave way for the recreation of the city. Following that demolition, the working class was then subjected to an urban segregation policy that pushed them further to the social housing scheme that had been established outside the capital’s dominion. These two reformations were in that age and time considered quite genius of Haussmann, the man behind the ideas. Nevertheless, they were outright social exclusion and the process would be deemed illegal and discriminative in today’s world.

Paris has always been, until quite recently, a highly conservative city that was inclined to its own traditions. Characteristically, two decades ago, most people would agree that part of the city’s charm lay in the fact that it remained adamant to its cultural ways. The people stuck to their traditions amidst the wave of modernization that struck Europe since the Second World War. Therefore, most peers argued that modernization would rejuvenate the archaic city that currently ran the risk of losing its place in a world that relevance and vibrancy mattered. It was, otherwise, regarded to as an outdoor museum. The challenge was, however, getting the balance between modernization and the loss of culture and traditions (an aspect that made the city unique in its own way). The citize4ns of Paris would, nonetheless, soon come to the realization that rejuvenation and modernization come at a significant expense. With the implementation of the modernization policy, the middle class not only lost its esteemed cultural diversity within the confines of the central and traditionally prosperous core of the city, but also to the fringes and outskirts of Paris. It is ironical that the community members seeking the positive state interventions did not foresee the unintentional negative impacts it would have in the later years. The pursuit for better neighborhoods through improvements on the transportation system, access to more cultural amenities, building of social facilities, and push for communal unity were the key drivers to modernization. The impactful consequences was a steep rise in the land rates, subsequent increase in the rents payable, and displacement of the very citizens they were attempting to help.

The effects of these changes have been felt in regions such as Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est, République, and Canal St Martin, which previously comprised of the most multiethnic area within Paris. In the present day, the citizens consisting mainly of the youth have found it convenient to move into the region