Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
3-2019
Abstract
Urban histories of nineteenth-century France have tended to focus on Paris and emphasize state actions. This has obscured movements that were crucial in shaping modern cities, particularly segments of civil society that worked on preserving old neighborhoods. This article focuses on Lyon—a “second city”—and analyzes how state-driven urban renovations under the Second Empire fostered a fin-de-siècle localist reaction that sought to preserve what was seen as Lyonnais urban forms (in particular neighborhoods defined by their narrow and crooked streets). Through an antiquarian discourse, cultural elites argued that these urban forms were an essential part of Lyonnais identity—which they feared was being infringed upon by Paris. The actions of these prideful and anxious Lyonnais show that antiquarian history was, in fact, a modern phenomenon that played a key role in shaping the modern city.
Keywords
Lyon, France, urban renovation, old city, civil society, preservation
Discipline
Urban Studies | Urban Studies and Planning
Research Areas
Political Science
Publication
Journal of Urban History
Volume
45
Issue
1
First Page
67
Last Page
98
ISSN
0096-1442
Identifier
doi.org/10.1177/0096144216689090
Publisher
SAGE Publications (UK and US)
Citation
1
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.