During humanism, most ‘spaces’ began with as a location which has no connections tying to anyone or anything. However, Space has been consumed by people as a trade since the 1950’s. Different spaces which concentrates in particular services; allows for jobs to be created for us but help boost tourism in that space. Paris was one of those cities in which it’s space was occupied by humans. But it isn’t just Paris that has decided to use this for many services such as commercial, residential etc.; other European cities have also. When cities are built, services were invented to form historical monuments, houses etc.; which not only adds value to the space, but attracts attention from buyers and consumers to set up businesses and establish a life there, hence, it was all planned since the beginning. No wonder the tourism is booming thus, as we get to see our past being preserved. It is our national identity that symbolises our history about who we are, that ends up resulting as a highlight of our city’s tourism. So, I must ask myself, how does our space of heritage evolve into one of the nation’s biggest tourism sectors today?
One of the cities that comes to mind is Paris, France. When we think of Paris, we think of well-known tourist attractions which captures its identity: The Arc de Triomphe, the louvre but the most common form of identity which captures the history of Paris, is the iconic Eiffel tower. So why do we celebrate these iconic figures? Why we are proud to say it is a part of our heritage? Just like any monument, the Eiffel tower didn’t just appear in our space out of nowhere. It took years to build such figures. “Architecture is neither irrelevant nor uninteresting” (Toulmin, 1990). We might not understand their purpose for its position in space but to this day, it brings such pride for these recognisable monuments to be apart not only of its country’s history. “It was a unifying structure that would incorporate each and every element of modern society” (Thompson, 2000).
However, not many citizens liked the look of the Eiffel tower due to its overall visual appearance (Thompson, 2000). Yet, thousands of tourists from around the world, come to visit the structure every day and pay for its view of the city, which helps boosts its tourism industry every year. This structure which was built by humans for humans has made an impact in urban spaces as other infrastructure and means of transport are formed around it. [see figure 1]. Our society has been transformed by these national monuments to create an aesthetic urban landscape and was funded by the taxation that citizens pay to the government; hence, we are given back. It’s part of their tradition to be associated with it. I would agree with Cendras (as seen by Thompson, 2000) that it’s an inevitable physical presence for Parisians but for us it’s an inevitable symbol of France.
“The relationship between imperial culture and urban space clearly worked out very differently in different European cities” (Driver & Gilbert, 1996). London, England is another example of how space is constructed in urban spaces to help boost our economy. Just like Paris, it is one of the most of the expensive places to live and yet many tourists from around come and visit for its iconic structures. Since the 19th century, London was built on space that stands on the River Thames surrounding the medieval boundaries. Also, known as the metropolis, everything is manufactured all round each other and all means of transport are connected to one another so we could get all around London. Not only that Its urban areas are the second biggest after Paris, it’s one of the leading tourist destinations across the world. Its tourism industry is one of its biggest as it employs thousands of employees every year. When I visited London for the first time with my partner, the first thing we wanted to see when you think of was Big Ben and Buckingham place. The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben (also known as clock tower or in recent years, Elizabeth tower), symbolises the heart of London city. We should “enlarge the vision of imperial London” shown in architectural histories in “considering the consumption of imperial space as well as its production” (Driver & Gilbert, 1996). The Palace of Westminster was originally destroyed by fire during the Victorian era.
Ten years later when humans decided to reconstruct it, it was decided this construction should include a tower and a clock. Located at the houses of parliament, it is in central London, which means there are several transport routes situated all around, making it accessible to get there whether it’s the iconic red buses, black cabs or the London underground. The tour buses I found very useful as it always stops at this location which increases the number of tourists stopping by, just to take photos. This clock has become a iconic symbol mainly in photos or tv. When you buy postcards, most images always have Big Ben in the background, with the double-decker bus or cab in the foreground. [see figure 2]. Big Ben is also a focus of important events in the city such as the New Year celebrations with TV stations tuning to its chimes and firework display to welcome the beginning of a New Year. Thousands of people turn up to watch the spectacle of fireworks surrounding Big Ben and the London Eye. Likewise, in another memorial such as Remembrance Day, I discovered that the bells of Big Ben transmit to indicate the 11th hour of the 11th of November with a 2-minute silence. ‘Londoners’ as they call themselves, who live nearby can hear the chimes both live and on analogue radio, hear the bell hit thirteen times. It’s clear that this piece of history that the city has preserved will “always be one of the symbols of the city and everyday spaces of London’s population” (Driver & Gilbert, 1996).
It is noted that certain landmarks that are preserved feed into the development of the tourism industry. Tourists generally accept the history of a city as it is told through landmarks, tours and in guidebooks. Without a doubt, the histories of cities, in general are constructed in some shape or form. I believe that Tourism has increased the intake of urban spaces and creates a new realm which renovates the city into something that can be enjoyed. And the emerging identity of a city is realistically based on minor detail of the past. They highlight a certain character in their cities and reminds me of the trade fairs in the medieval markets, where stalls which has a cultural meaning to the space bring in some economic trade. It is something that I miss seeing on the streets today. Instead of preserving its look as a symbol, we should preserve its history of its past. We should be asking ourselves ‘How was it built?’ and ‘why was it built there?’ and ‘why don’t we have our something old?’. As Driver & Gilbert (1996) said, it is important to recognise that the great European cities were not merely isolated sites, but each articulating a different vision of empire”. Maybe it is something to think about, the next time I go travelling somewhere.
Bibliography:
Driver.F, Gilbert,D. (1996). ‘Heart of empire? Landscape, space and performance in imperial London’. Environment and planning D: Society and space. 16.11.28.
Thompson, W. (2000). ‘”The symbol of Paris”’: writing the Effiel Tower’. In: The French Review. 73 (6). 1130-1140.
Toulmin,S. (1990). ‘Cosmopolis. The hidden Agenda of modernity’. New York. Macmillan. 5-44.