Paris (World Cities Series) Book

Of all the worlds great cities, Paris conjures up some of the most vivid images — images of romance, beauty and sophistication. As the quintessential European city, Paris has served as both an example to be followed and a lesson to be learned. The contemporary significance of Paris is drawn from its historic past, its role in world culture, its status as capital of one of the worlds major economies, its position as the principal arena for French national politics, and its image as city of style and romance. The city has crowned this reputation with one of the most ambitious and radical architectural building programmes of the century. Yet, beneath this glittering image the wider agglomeration of Paris is experiencing the problems of economic restructuring, of pollution and environmental degradation, of poverty and growing social exclusion, and of imbalances between the city and its suburbs. Paris is an essential guide to both the image and the reality of this most urbane of the worlds cities.Read More