Metropolis on the water: Varieties of development logics along the Seine

Yonah Freemark

doi:10.1162/00c13b77.ea8fcc5a

Abstract

Scholars writing about the influence of the “neoliberal turn” suggest that, in response to global competition and a declining welfare state, cities have committed to using urban development projects for the purpose of investment attraction through spatially isolated interventions, particularly on key sites such as riverfronts. But is that really the case, or do project programming and design offer opportunities to combat inequality and increase links to the surrounding city? I explore this question through a study of postwar waterside development in Paris, examining planning documents and statements by government representatives. While officials have promoted their city’s global status, I show that they have also increasingly emphasized the provision of affordable housing; meanwhile, they have encouraged new approaches to urban design that prioritize local needs over those of tourists and create new links between existing neighborhoods. This suggests that Paris’ projects reflect a diversity of development logics—that is, goals with respect to certain planning policies—including some conducive to promoting social equity and community cohesion. This finding challenges expectations about project creation as commonly understood through the lens of the neoliberal turn. It suggests that contemporary urbanism is not converging to a uniform, regressive outcome. I identify institutional and political changes—respectively, the devolution of power to the local government in 1977 and the election of left-wing councils beginning in 2001—as the primary explanations for Paris’ history.

Highlights

A large theoretical literature argues that the form and programming of major urban development projects, which shape the form, function, and social composition of cities worldwide, reflect the “neoliberal turn.” This line of thought suggests that in the face of global economic changes since the 1970s that prioritize market-oriented reforms such as financialization and privatization, projects are converging to a framework that promotes competitivity and economic growth, ignoring the needs of lower-income residents in favor of tourists and the wealthy
Scholars writing about the influence of the “neoliberal turn” suggest that, in response to global competition and a declining welfare state, cities have committed to using urban development projects for the purpose of investment attraction through spatially isolated interventions, on key sites such as riverfronts
To what extent is there evidence for a convergence toward inequality-increasing, secluded projects? Or, are there opportunities for political agents to engage varying development logics to accomplish multiple objectives—including some that promote social and physical integration with the rest of the city? This paper addresses these questions by examining the history, programming, and urban design of key riverfront developments completed in the city of Paris since the 1960s

Summary

Introduction

A large theoretical literature argues that the form and programming of major urban development projects, which shape the form, function, and social composition of cities worldwide, reflect the “neoliberal turn.” This line of thought suggests that in the face of global economic changes since the 1970s that prioritize market-oriented reforms such as financialization and privatization, projects are converging to a framework that promotes competitivity and economic growth, ignoring the needs of lower-income residents in favor of tourists and the wealthy. An emphasis on economic growth through tertiary development predated the neoliberal turn, and more recent projects completed under left-wing local governments, incorporate increased social housing and create links between neighborhoods. The project includes a large park along the Seine, housing, a hospital, and limited office space (APUR 1980).

Results

Conclusion