One MegaCity always seems to be at the forefront of progressive movements.
Whether it’s innovation in its cuisine, couture, infrastructure, or governance, this
refuge for the rebel, artist, philosopher, and scientist, has always held a place in
the hearts of romantics and vanguards alike.
Because here, in The City of Light, engineers and artists often share a line of sight.
This is Paris, the Grand MegaCity.
Twenty-three hundred years ago, a group of Celtic Gauls called the Parisii settled on
the Île de la Cité, a small island in the middle of the Seine.
After falling into the hands of the Roman Empire, the town grew, until the Empire collapsed
a short time later.
Clovis, the first king to unite all the Frankish tribes is the origin of the name Louis, taken
by 18 subsequent French monarchs.
For the next thousand years, or the period known as the Middle Ages, Paris saw rulers,
religions, wars, and plagues come and go as it became the largest city in Europe.
Home to one of the first Universities and the birthplace of Gothic architecture, Paris
was ground zero for the enlightenment.
Philosophies embracing individual liberty, religious tolerance, and the scientific method,
were perfectly captured by the phrase Sapere aude, “dare to know.”
In the end, the monarchy and the Church were simply overmatched by the sheer power of a
set of ideas whose time had come--ideas that were spread far and wide by books and pamphlets.
The stage was set for Revolution.
On the afternoon of July 14, 1789, the Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison symbolizing
royal authority in the center of Paris, was overtaken by force.
It was the opening move in a ten year struggle that featured the bloody overthrow of the
monarchy, the establishment of the French Republic, and violent political turmoil.
The dictatorship of Napoleon followed, delivering many principles of the revolution to much
of Western Europe.
By the middle of the 1800’s, Paris had well over a million people, but was made up of
tight streets and overpopulated, filthy alleyways.
Life for many was a miserable, day-to-day struggle in disease-ridden slums.
So Napoleon’s nephew, who had become emperor himself, set out to make the city healthier,
less congested, and grander.
He turned to a clever man described as big, strong, energetic, and full of audacity and
skill: the visionary urban planner Baron Haussmann.
He imagined the modern city as a living organism with the boulevards its arteries.
Over the next 17 years, the duo oversaw the most epic public works spree since Ancient
Rome.
Tens of thousands of workers were hired to carry out their plans, which included a new
aqueduct and massive reservoir to bring clean water from the Vanne River, and hundreds of
kilometers of pipes to distribute it throughout the city; completely rebuilding the sewer
system and installing hundreds of kilometers of pipes inside of it to distribute gas for
thousands of new streetlights; two brand new rail stations connecting Paris to the rest
of France; and more than twenty parks to ensure that none was more than a ten minute’s walk
away.
Four of these ‘lawns of Paris’ were major parks, inspired by Hyde Park in London which
Napoleon remembered fondly from his time in exile.
But the innovation that most transformed the city was Haussmann's dedication to wide boulevards,
twelve of which converge on the roundabout circling the Arc De Triomphe.
Throughout the thirty year undertaking, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced in phases
as the entire city became a construction zone.
This sacrifice - which wasn’t always appreciated by the residents of Paris - was well worth
the end result.
The discipline to keep the buildings lining these avenues the same height, all faced with
similar colored stone, created a striking visual effect.
Over the next 100 years, Paris was thankfully spared the widespread destruction suffered
by many other capitals in the wars and conflicts that unfolded across Europe.
When the unthinkable happened in 1940, and Nazi flags were raised throughout Paris during
the German occupation, Hitler declared the city too beautiful to bomb.
Famous photos show him posing like a tourist at the base of the Eiffel tower, which was
the tallest building in the world at the time of its construction in 1889.
Originally planned to be dismantled after 20 years, converting it into a radio tower
saved it and today it is the most visited landmark on the planet.
Another signature site is the Louvre.
Built and expanded over the course of eight centuries, what was once the largest building
in the world used to be a palace.
That changed when the royals were thrown out during the French Revolution.
Today, it is the most visited museum in the world.
As the decades after the French and allied victory in WWII stretched into the 21st century,
Paris remained at the forefront in the battle of ideas, grappling with challenges like how
best to educate its students, integrate immigrants and refugees, offer services to its people,
and find a balance between security and liberty in the face of terrorism.
But Paris has always come t hrough the other side of struggles more unified and stronger.
Just two weeks after suffering the deadliest attack on French soil since the Second World
War, Paris hosted 196 countries in an effort to make progress on climate change.
The French government is also focused on making sure the 12 million people who now inhabit
Paris are well supported by world-class infrastructure.
As it prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, Paris is aiming to complete two megaprojects:
building 12 more towers in the La Defense financial district on the westernmost end
of the 10 kilometre Historical Axis; and expanding the Paris metro, adding four new lines and
68 stations to a system that is already the most extensive on the continent.
These improvements will keep the city thriving for decades, and ensure that the next generation
of Parisians are positioned to lead on the challenges of the second half of the century.
If you enjoyed this, check out my other megacity minidocs, and my rundown of the revolutions
that changed the world.
Next up, we’ll explore Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Until then, I’m Bryce Plank.