Rewolucja urbanistyczna na terenie Île de la Cité w Paryżu w XIX w.

Urban Revolution Of Paris’s Île De La Cité In The 19th Century Urban changes in Paris taking place in the time of the second Empire were generally viewed as positive. First of all, they solved the problem of old, non-hygienic, overpopulated, and dirty districts of the city and enabled the police to control the area in case of revolutionary movements. Moreover, they created the possibility of placing central, most important offices in prestigious locations, which added authority and splendor to them. As a result, the center of Paris became hygienic, utilitarian, safe and representative. However, these positive aspects of urban changes introduced under Napoleon III soon received severe criticism. The location of the Cité and the island on which it was located proved to be a curse for its urban development. Seeking to squeeze as many monumental governmental objects as possible on a small area resulted in almost complete destruction of the mediaeval urban structure of the district. The urban revolution which changed the Cité became a dramatic symbol of the authoritarian power of the Second Empire.