Urban Development (Leaving Cert Geography): Revision Notes
Urban Development
Introduction to Paris
Paris serves as France's primate city, meaning it dominates the country both in size and importance. The Greater Paris Area houses over 11 million people, whilst the inner city contains approximately 2.2 million residents. This creates an extremely high population density of 20,000 people per square kilometre in the city centre.
Primate city: The largest and most important city in a country, which dominates in terms of population, economy, and political influence.
Paris functions as a multifunctional city, serving multiple important roles simultaneously. It operates as the nation's political capital, administrative centre, retail hub, educational destination, research base, and major tourist attraction. The majority of Paris's workforce is employed in the tertiary (service) sector, reflecting its modern economic structure. Most major French banking, insurance and corporate headquarters are located within the city, whilst prestigious institutions like the University of Sorbonne contribute to its educational significance.
Multifunctional city: A city which provides many different services, such as education, employment, banking, government, and tourism.
Urban Growth Patterns
Paris experienced rapid expansion over the past two centuries, driven primarily by significant rural-urban migration following World War II. Several factors contributed to this population movement:
- Agricultural mechanisation reduced the need for farm workers, pushing people to seek employment in cities
- Industrial opportunities in Paris attracted workers from rural areas across France
- Economic prosperity during the 1960s boom period drew additional migrants
The 1960s economic boom across Western Europe particularly impacted Paris's growth. French employers began recruiting cheap labour from former North African colonies, especially Algeria. This immigration wave further increased population pressure on the city's infrastructure.
As more people moved to Paris, the city expanded outward through suburban growth. However, this rapid expansion created significant strain on essential services including transport, water supply, and sewage systems. Urban sprawl became an increasing concern as development spread beyond the city's planned boundaries.
Urban Problems and Challenges
Despite Paris's prosperity and important functions, the city faces several significant challenges:
Social issues have emerged from the rapid population growth and diverse immigration patterns. Tensions and inequality between different ethnic groups continue to exist, leading to social stratification where different communities become separated by income, ethnicity, and living standards.
Infrastructure pressure resulted from the city's rapid expansion overwhelming existing services. The transport network, housing stock, and public utilities struggled to accommodate the growing population effectively.
Quality concerns arose regarding migrant accommodation, with many new arrivals housed in lower-quality developments that lacked adequate facilities and services.
Urban Management Strategies
City planners developed comprehensive strategies to address Paris's growth challenges through three main approaches:
Decentralisation Policies
To reduce pressure on Paris's services, planners encouraged decentralisation of manufacturing industries away from the city centre. This policy involved offering incentives to companies willing to relocate their operations.
Worked Example: Industrial Decentralisation
Renault, the major car manufacturer, took advantage of decentralisation incentives to establish operations in Flins, north of Paris. Similarly, many cosmetic companies relocated from Paris to the Chartres area, creating what became known as Cosmetic Valley - a specialised industrial cluster.
Urban Regeneration Programmes
By 1960, comprehensive urban regeneration became necessary to manage the city's growth and modernise inadequate infrastructure. The government introduced the Schéma Directeur project, which aimed to:
- Conserve old and historic buildings of cultural importance
- Develop modern transport links throughout the city
- Redevelop the city centre with improved facilities
- Construct new towns in Île-de-France to contain urban sprawl
Eight suburban areas were selected for special development as nodes - areas designed to become self-sufficient centres with modern office blocks, housing, shopping centres, and transport connections. Examples include Saint-Denis and La Défense, which have successfully developed into thriving business districts.
Nodes: Areas selected for urban development and growth with the aim of them becoming self-sufficient. All nodes are connected to each other and to Paris by modern transport networks.
The Schéma programme achieved considerable success. Many historic buildings, including the famous Louvre museum, were carefully repaired and modernised. New employment opportunities were created, and improved transport links helped reduce traffic congestion throughout the city.
New Town Development
Five new towns were constructed outside Paris specifically to reduce urban sprawl. Each town was designed as a complete community containing residential areas, leisure parks, technological parks, and research centres. These towns were connected to Paris via efficient rail links.
Worked Example: Marne-la-Vallée New Town
Marne-la-Vallée serves as an excellent example of successful new town development. With a population of 280,000 people spread across 15 square kilometres, it has become a major attraction in its own right.
The town's most famous feature is Disneyland Paris, which draws millions of tourists annually and provides substantial employment opportunities for local residents.
Key Points to Remember:
- Paris is France's primate city with over 11 million people in the Greater Paris Area and extremely high population density of 20,000 per km²
- Rapid growth after WWII was driven by rural-urban migration caused by agricultural mechanisation and industrial opportunities
- The city faces ongoing challenges including social stratification, ethnic tensions, and infrastructure pressure from rapid expansion
- The Schéma Directeur project successfully combined conservation of historic buildings with modern urban development through strategic planning
- New towns like Marne-la-Vallée demonstrate how decentralisation can create self-sufficient communities whilst reducing pressure on the main city