Consumer culture plays a key role in the economy. Today, the ways in which urban spaces are arranged facilitate the consumption of goods. One only needs to look to modern cities such as New York, London or Tokyo in order to recognise the countless forms of advertisement intended to lure the mass population into spending money on various merchandises, from novelty items to luxury products. The use of built structures to facilitate the display of retail products for the consumption of the masses is nothing new. After its renovation, Paris became a model innovative city planning and construction for a lot of modern cities that exist today. The wide boulevards and open spaces engaged the mass population and encouraged consumerism. At the height of the Second Empire, Paris was one of the leading centres of capitalist culture in Europe during the mid-nineteenth century, made possible by the city’s reconstruction. The modernisation of Paris initiated an unprecedented method of urban planning under Baron Haussmann. It is this concept of modernisation that people immediately think of in terms of Paris and modernity. This focus on Haussmannisation, however, obscures the fact that Paris was already changing before Haussmann, as was evident in the arcades that sprung up during the 1820s and 30s. Plans of renovating the city were already being thought of in order to manage problems of overcrowding, diseases, social upheavals and infrastructure collapse. However, these plans were never realised; it was the small business owners—or the petit bourgeoisie—who saw to the creation of the arcades that drove the changes made within the urban landscape of pre-Haussmann Paris. These arcades sought to cater to the consumer culture that was developing ... ... middle of paper ... ...ent form ranging from pubs, cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, swimming pools and so on; these spaces tend to be culture-specific. However, these space continue to use flânerie in order to engage consumers with the selling of goods. In the words of Benjaree, “it’s the appropriate mix of flânerie and third places that dictates the script for a successful public life.” For example, shopping centres are designed to encourage the state of idleness in terms of “hanging out.” Boutiques are present in both metropolitan and suburban areas, as well as a multitude of eateries to encourage people to “eat out.” More often than not, social contact, relaxation, leisure and entertainment all involve consumption of goods, whether it’s going to the cinemas, catching up with friends or simply taking a stroll, the individual is always a consumer when they are within the public sphere.
Beautiful scenery, delicious foods, and desirable accessories at your fingertips along with other enticements and wishes the mall offers as described by Carolyn Merchant as the modern Garden of Eden in her writing of “Eden Commodified.” Merchant is an award winning writer and professor at the University of California covering the subjects of environmental history and philosophy, making her an expert in the subject of human nature and our connection to the environment. She characterizes the combination of gardens, goods, and ornate architecture as heaven on earth a peaceful, clean, and orderly destination for rich and poor, old and young; however, is this really all she is saying?
Paris in 1850 was in an precarious condition. In the Prologue, Harvey compares the state of Paris to a double straitjacket, each of which fortified the other. The first straitjacket refers to the economic crisis that occurred during the late 1840’s. During this time, there appeared to be an upsurge of rural workers coming into Paris from the countryside searching for employment or assistance. With this sudden increase in the population of Paris came a high rate of unemployment and an overaccumulation of capital wealth. This surplus of labour, however, was problematic, since employment was scarce in comparison to the population. Predictably, this situation instigated thoughts of reformations in the capitalist system in place. This economic catastrophe, Harvey argues, is one of the reasons that urged Louis-Napoleon and Haussmann to
The fashion industry is a prime example of the changes to the United States urban economy. Cities can be defined by their density and scale, and New York has one of the highest population, employment, and density levels in the country. New York City is home to the nation’s largest “fashion cluster”, which is due to New York’s historical role as a center for apparel design, production, distribution and marketing. Fashion is strongly aligned with the new creative thrust of economic development and urban policy. The fashion industry is already an economic engine for New York City, due to the fact that creative people and innovations can be strong initiators of urban growth.
The phrase Paris capital of modernity refers to the time in the second half of the nineteenth century when Paris was considered one of the most innovative cities in the world. This was largely a result of Haussmann’s renovation of the city between 1851 and 1869. A Prefect of Paris under Napoleon III, he transformed Paris into a city with wide streets, new shops and cafes, and a unified architecture.
With the influx of people to urban centers came the increasingly obvious problem of city layouts. The crowded streets which were, in some cases, the same paths as had been "naturally selected" by wandering cows in the past were barely passing for the streets of a quarter million commuters. In 1853, Napoleon III named Georges Haussmann "prefect of the Seine," and put him in charge of redeveloping Paris' woefully inadequate infrastructure (Kagan, The Western Heritage Vol. II, pp. 564-565). This was the first and biggest example of city planning to fulfill industrial needs that existed in Western Europe. Paris' narrow alleys and apparently random placement of intersections were transformed into wide streets and curving turnabouts that freed up congestion and aided in public transportation for the scientists and workers of the time. Man was no longer dependent on the natural layout of cities; form was beginning to follow function. Suburbs, for example, were springing up around major cities. This housing arrangem...
The argument that the “Tumult of the Metropolis” creates inner barriers between people is justified by Simmel’s social theory study of sociability (paraphrased in Frisby 1989, p.75-77). His reflective view explores the importance of sociability and its ability to transcend ones inner barriers and concerns on modern leisure within a “growing objective culture” (Frisby 1989, p.76). Simmel further suggests that the concerns raised upon the modernised culture derived from two main ideologies of objectification and reification which was dominated by production, exchange and consumption. The domination of these aspects reflects the process of commodification as what was seen as valuable had been reduced to exchangeable prices, therefore meaning that subjectivity and individuality was destroyed.
Evolving from this, was one of the great state jewels of Napoleon III’s newly reconstructed city. The Paris Opera House (L’Opéra), designed by Charles Garnier was the “new cathedral of bourgeois…”(Khan). Commissioned of the Second Empire, this glittering
In chapter 8, the author Barry Bergdoll has written about how urban planners were reinventing new concepts to change and improve urban life as well as solve problems relating to poverty and congestion. The author continues the chapter discussing further in depth problems that occurred in Paris, France. For example, due to the narrow streets in Paris it limited and prevented military officers from stopping riots. However, for Napoleon Bonaparte the narrow streets were in his favor when he overthrew the government. Additionally, Napoleon Bonaparte had a goal to create a new more Modernist architecture layout for Medieval Paris by replacing the old layout. Also, Napoleon Bonaparte’s vision for the city of Paris included widen streets, so that
With the rise of industrialization, globalization, and mass production, the manufacturing productivity has been dramatically increased and accordingly the availability of consumer goods. And with the rise of the mass media, various products have been targeted on broad groups of consumers. Consumerism, which is propelled by a system of mass production and high levels of consumption, has been one of the themes in art works from twentieth century till now.
Haussmann separated the city by making it into a geometric grid, with the majority of his "Grands Boulevards" running east to west and north to south. This plan brought a new symmetry to Paris, which it desperately needed. The narrow, winding streets that Paris was kn...
Local Subculture to a Global Consumption Collective', MA thesis, Georgetown University, Washington DC, viewed 10 April 2014,
Goss argues that developers and designers of the built environment, specifically shopping centers and malls, use the power of place and understanding the structural layout of the space to boost consumption of the retail profits. Shopping centers are separated from the downtown area of shopping, either by distance and/or design. These establishments emerge for many to be the new heart and location for public and social life. In his article The "Magic of the Mall": An Analysis of Form, Function, and Meaning in the Contemporary Retail Built Environment, Goss also argues that the regulation of the spaces within the mall creates an atmosphere of "community" rather than one that is "public". This article’s main argument is that developers manufacture an illusion of doing more than just shopping when designing malls and shopping centers.
The theories in Jameson’s text “Postmodernism and Consumer Society” can be used to analyze Barthelme’s short story, “I Bought a Little City.” In Barthelme’s story, the city owner made modifications to a good city with the intention of bettering it. Instead, he stripped away the city’s individuality and originality. Jameson’s text allows us to interpret Barthelme’s short story and gives us a revelation of the main character’s behavior and his reasoning behind it. The framework that Jameson utilizes helps us understand why the city owner in “I Bought a Little City” alters a perfectly industrialized city with antique ideals.
Le Corbusier. The City of Tomorrow and Its Planning. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1987
Both of Louis Vuitton and Gucci are worldwide brands and luxury goods, it brings about their requirements on the decision of stores are high. Consequently, they open stores in the upscale business area, for example, and Champs Elysees. They partition into diverse level stores to meet distinctive public opinion classes, flagship stores and speciality stores. flagship stores with larger amount, in which centered the design of stores as well as reflect the spirits of the brand. In this year, Louis Vuitton opens two stores in significant city on that day in China, Shanghai. From this can reflect that the economy and the number of inhabitants in urban communities likewise are the important variables to luxury brands while choosing places.