Seine (department) - Controversy Over The Break-up

Controversy Over The Break-up

Today, there are some people in France who regret the break-up of the old Seine department. In the 1960s it was felt that the department was too large to be properly governed, and everybody welcomed the change. However, in the last 40 years large ghettos have appeared in the suburbs of Paris, while the city of Paris itself has become more of a place for the wealthy, with the departure of lower-middle-class residents to the suburbs. The building of the large Périphérique freeway all around the city of Paris also contributed to the feeling of marked segregation between Paris proper and its suburbs. Many politicians and intellectuals regret the loss of the old Seine department in the sense that before there existed a common administration for the city of Paris and its immediate suburbs, creating a sense of community throughout the metropolitan area, whereas today rich Paris administers itself solely and leaves the suburbs to their own fate.

However, so far there are no real plans to revive the old Seine department. Moreover, the creation of the Île-de-France region in the 1970s, which encompasses not only the territory of the former Seine department, but also the more distant suburbs of Paris, may in time prove to be the unifying structure for the metropolitan area that was once the Seine department.