The Site and Growth of Paris

IT is impossible now to estimate the ultimate effect of enemy occupation on the future of Paris. The history of the city, to a greater degree perhaps than that of any other capital, has been closely identified with that of France; the mere temporary isolation of a portion of the country, apart from changes imposed by transient re-orientation of economic activity, must affect its development. The final result may be a measure of that industrial and administrative decentralization already advocated in some quarters before the war, thus lessening.the preponderant role of Paris in French life. An outline of the history of Paris and the trends apparent in its development at the outbreak of war may give us a basis for interpreting future changes. The following notes merely assemble the main conclusions of Professor A. Demangeon's 'Paris: la ville et sa banlieue,' 1934, and of other authorities on the history of the city quoted at the end of this paper. The successive stages in the expansion of Paris from its nucleus on an island in the Seine, which are still clearly embodied in its plan, are closely related to the topography of its site. Its rise to the position of capital of France and to the front rank of world cities has also been promoted by its relationship to an area far wider than its actual bounds, but much more by the deliberate policy of its rulers. Though geographical advantages are emphasized below, it must be understood that these by themselves have not made inevitable the predominant position of Paris in French life. The characteristic structure of the Paris basin has often been described, and it is necessary here to touch only upon those features which are related to the city's growth. Paris lies near the centre of the bowl-shaped depression of Tertiary rocks deposited upon an older series which emerge on the surface beyond its circumference: the Ardennes to the north-east, the Vosges to the east, the Massif Central to the south, and the uplands of Normandy to the west. The rocks near the centre are generally horizontal, the limestones intercalated with clays and sands. Towards the east, on the limits of the basin, the structure is characterized by roughly concentric belts of alternating uplands and lowlands, the more resistant limestones outcropping with eastward-facing scarps. Across these belts the rivers have cut narrow valleys which deepen as the surface rises. As the centre is approached the rivers assume flatter pro? files, their courses across the plateau become more sinuous, and their incised valleys broader. The outer rim of older rocks is interrupted by four wide saddles, and the relation of these to the river system is important. The Lorraine saddle is close to the upper Marne: the plateau of Langres lies between the upper Seine and the Saone; the plain of Beauce opens a way to the middle Loire; and the Poitou gap connects with the lowlands of Gasc ony Thus access to the basin has never been difficult, and the routes, which converge upon Paris, have simplified the task of the builders of roads, canals, and railways. The variety of rocks of the central dissected plateau, exposed by diluvial erosion and the work of the rivers, has produced a corresponding variety in

Geography · Urbanization and City Planning

• The Origin and Growth of Paris

  Open Access•Lucien Gallois•Geographical Review•1923

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