The Element Of Great City

Gentrification is a practice that cultivates social displacement. This change is revealed in the change of the neighborhoods environmental aesthetics, engrossed by the belief that a rebirth of the older city was in the making.

These improved housing will increase the neighborhood and property value, increase social mixed, reduce crime rate, and reduce vacancy rates. While the superficial key of gentrification is the upgrade of housing, there is actually other great benefits that gentrification bring to the neighborhoods. In terms of symbolic implications for urban change, gentrification is the urban changes and improvement which also redevelop the area’s image. Fancy restaurants, high-priced boutiques and shops, high houses’ values, and fancy house have changed the neighborhood's image or symbol from a rural neighborhood (before gentrification) to a high-class neighborhood (after gentrification). Gentrification has certainly restructure the economic of one’s neighborhood by bringing up new standard in consumption. The decrease in crime rates and increase in property value can stabilize the previously struggling neighborhood, restoring interest in the inner city life as a residential. These changes are able to encourage other forms of development of the area that promote the economic

Gentrification can be defined as the renovation and re-purposing of buildings in run-down areas in order to suit the use of higher income social groups. It also assumes the creation of amenities in the area such as shopping facilities and restaurants to fulfill the needs of the new residents (Giddens, 1997). The topic of gentrification is one that is highly debated by scholars and the general public alike, particularly due to the fact that the process and aftermath of gentrification can be felt on a concrete and tangible level by those who experience its effects. While some view it as a means of returning a level of affluence to lower-income neighborhoods, others view it as the defilement of the authenticity of an area and the ethnic elements contained within it, much to the financial and social detriment of its inhabitants. (Sheppard, 2012)

In this paper, I will first define, explore and analyze the evolution of gentrification a concept since the inception of the term. Next, I will analyze the consequences of gentrification and how they affect, change, displace and create cultures. More specifically, this paper will cover the cultural shifts that occur as a result of gentrification through the migration and change demographic constituency of a neighborhood.

The article by Denise Lawrece-Zuniga (2010) focused on preservationist and the experiences of preservationists living in Los Angeles. The author conducted interviews and participant observation five different cities across Los Angeles. Preservation can be defined as maintenance of property without significant alteration to its current condition, the more original features the home possesses the better it is (Lawrence-Zuniga 2010). Preservationist claimed their goal to save history from destruction of modernity or neglect. In theory, preservations cosmology is available to all residents of historic neighborhoods, but it privileges those possessing cultural capital (education, class, economy) to do so. One concerns that preservation cosmology

Paris as the City of Light, or the “modern” Paris, emerged in the mid 19th century as the demolition of “Old Paris” by Prefect Haussmann paved the way for the urban renewal program set out by the Emperor Napoleon III. New streets, sewers, and parks, and new town halls, hospitals, and schools were all created at this time. Not all were admired though. In fact, some Parisians grew angry that the historic core of Paris was lost in these bold projects. Lights throughout Paris evolved over the 19th century as well. Candle-lit lanterns that once lit the city became oil-burning lamps. It wasn’t until the year 1900 that Paris was illuminated by electric lighting, and formally became known as “Ville Lumière.” Main monumental spaces such as the Palais de l’Électricité, the Eiffel Tower, and even the new central wide boulevards were illuminated with these lights. Paris displayed the pleasures of the city to visitors who came to experience it, however, it also divided Parisians on the basis that the city’s traditions and memories were destroyed. Despite being called the most cosmopolitan city in the world by Baedeker, its history left out the dark side of it all. Paris was desolated of its historic memories and its traditional morals. However, renovations did bring sunlight and air into the historically beloved unhealthy, cramped streets. Ultimately, this image of Paris is all about its visually appealing aesthetics and does not mention what a true Parisian, in the center-periphery or banlieues, for example, would vision.

The documentation, through motion pictures, of Montreal over the decades, characterizes this city of owning a vibrant energy and engaging atmosphere. A common factor from these films portrays Montreal’s never ending construction and poor conditions due to the ancient infrastructures. Nonetheless, many changes have induced that could be interpreted as positive or as negative consequences, depending on one’s perspective. The architecture of the city has altered due to the hope of creating suitable living areas and notably, its people and culture have changed through time as well. From the films seen in class, Montreal by Night from 1947, À St-Henri le Cinq Septembre from 1962 and La Mémoire des Anges from 2008, exhibits the modifying evolution

Nothing beats the energy being given by the dazzling city lights and the activities happening within its canopy. True that many of us would dream of living in a place wherein tranquility is at its finest but now that the population being younger as we move through time, this is a concept slowly changing. With many professionals on their mid-20s, the business of real estate is being patronized by young achievers who craves the life in an urban setting. More and more establishments are built within each square meter, all comprised of workplaces and corporate buildings which in turn would increase the demand for residential spaces on its immediate proximity.

This historical study will define the gentrification and social disruption of medieval Paris in the modern urban design of Georges-Eugene Haussmann’s renovation of Paris in the 19th century. Haussmann’s urban design was founded on the revolutionary leadership of Emperor Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte III in the late 1840s to renovate the massive slums and overcrowded tenements of Paris. The modernity of this massive urban project was founded on making wider streets, demolishing slums, and providing better sewage for an ever-increasing population. The destruction of the “medieval” structure of Paris was extremely influential in the design of the modern European city, yet it also brought about the problem of gentrification that alienated and marginalized

The people of 19th century France experienced unprecedented change in many aspects of day-to-day life. The emergence of new technologies, industrialisation and agricultural mechanisation created new economic opportunities, with the effects of this change most notably felt in the capital Paris. However, the city was struggling to accommodate the rapid growth, and many felt that the squalor and overcrowding was in direct opposition to this new way of life. The renovation of Paris by Georges Haussmann in the latter part of the century saw radical changes to both the visual aspect of the city but also to the Parisian way of life. These changes brought a new sense of modernity to Paris, and consequently the artists of the day became detached observers

Cities in “Before Sunset” In the 2004 Richard Linklater film, Before Sunset, the main protagonists, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) attempt to rekindle a romance they had long ago, while traveling through Europe. The film is shot primarily in Paris, France, and Vienna, Austria, and in the course of Jesse and Celine’s pursuit of one another, the viewer is also treated to a close-up observation of two of the world’s oldest cities and hallmarks of Western Civilization. When watching this movie through the lens of urban planning, Before Sunset becomes much more than a quirky romantic comedy. In all of the scenes, it becomes increasingly apparent that the film is not simply about Jesse and Celine, but that it is also trying to tell a story about Paris and Vienna. One

Over the past few centuries, after mankind had almost fully embraced the thought of living life within the confines of a city, the people in charge of the maintenance and upkeep of the sprawling metropolises that now dominate the world scene have used methods that are equally alike and different in order to accomplish their goals. Often considered one of the first great city planners of pre-modern times, Haussmann was given the task to recreate the sprawling mass that Paris had become into a landmark of both beauty and power. His personal style, although having its own fair share of critics, is now considered to have been at least fairly successful in completely retrofitting and modernizing the monuments, the roadways and the main public

His first comprehensive city plan was La Ville Contemporaine (the Contemporary City) a project to house three million inhabitants designed in 1922. This was Le Corbusier’s first attempt to reconcile man, nature and machine (Fishman, 189). The city starts at the center with a transportation hub for busses, trains, cars and planes. Surrounding this hub there will be an organized cluster of 24 60-story skyscrapers. These glass and steel skyscrapers are cross-shaped. Each individual skyscraper is to be set within a large rectangular green space. The skyscrapers house the “brain” of the city. The city is beautifully geometric and symmetrical. Placing the skyscrapers in the city center reinforces the emphasis on capital as a means of creating a successful city. Because of the shape and mass of each skyscraper, they have more usable space than an entire neighborhood but also relieves density and congestion because of the organization (Frampton, 46).

Paris today is known as a center of arts and rich culture both acclaimed and original. Famous moments pop up through the history of France’s art, such as the impressionistic artworks by Monet, the École des Beaux-Arts teachings of classicism, and the iconic Eiffel Tower by Stephen Sauvestre. Paris augments itself with numerous museums to catalog countless masterpieces and sculptures throughout France’s enduring, yet sometimes gritty, history. As a whole, Paris comprises of a mixture between historic architectural themes like rusticated brick clad, mansard roofs, striated columns, and a modern day architectural themes like engineered metalwork, and external program support machinery. The notion of classic French architecture, juxtaposed

It was one of the largest efforts to rebuild the centre of a city since ancient times. While there was the glamour of the many entertainments in the city, there was also a darker side of poverty, crime and prostitution. "The city - with its pristine exterior, its soiled underside, its hollow entertainments - provided the makings of an enormous duality: a two-sided mirror...a spectacle and secret life." (Bromber 1996: 62) One of the key parts to this design by Haussmann were the wide tree lined avenues, which replaced the smaller streets that had previously existed in the city. "Haussmann's grand design for the reconstruction of Paris was being carried forward by the Third Republic, and the city was now laced with wide, tree-lined avenues." (Schneider 1972: 134) In fact, the modern city of Paris is based on the city that was built by Haussmann and the modern perception of Paris as being the artistic and cultural centre that it is known for, is chiefly based on Haussman's design and re-modelling of the city.