The Morphological Resilience of the Seine in Paris: From Ancient Meander to the Contemporary Street Network

Abstract

This article considers the heritage of river form in the current urban fabric, specifically in relation to an ancient meander of the Seine located on the right bank of Paris. The resilience of the river’s shape appears by crossing texts, maps and archaeological data in historical geospatial mapping (GIS). In the ninth century, the Church of Sainte-Opportune in Paris received from the king the wetland left behind by the ancient channel of the Seine and used it as common pasture until 1150. Then, the canons drained the marsh which was converted for vegetable farming and, since the fourteenth century, for a sewer system. Since the nineteenth century, it has influenced the orientation of urban plots and streets. Finally, during the big flood of 1910, the Seine returned to its ancient bed. This is an example of how forms are passed on over time: because functions change.