Paris

Like most of us semi-educated humans, you are probably thinking of the Eiffel Tower, maybe the Arc de Triomphe, and possibly even the movie Ratatouille. Paris is often thought of as a city of history: of Napoleon, of Versailles, of older days. People often neglect that Paris, as historical as it is, is still the capital of France - a progressive, influential nation in the European Union. Paris proper is actually the densest area in the entire EU, and its population is 20% immigrants – making it a diverse and international place for all. In terms of city structure and planning, Paris may no longer be in an era of drastic changes, as previously seen with the Haussman and Le Corbusier eras, but it is still moving forward. To that point, cities do not simply stop developing. There is no point at which planning is no longer required. Major events, new technology, and the constant influx of humans into our ever-shrinking world force constant improvements. The period of urban development to be analyzed in this section starts at the conclusion of probably the most significant and destructive event in European history: World War II.