Publisher's Synopsis
When disaster strikes, cities reveal their true character-not in how they fall, but in how they rise again.
This compelling study examines three pivotal moments when catastrophe became catalyst, transforming London, Lisbon, and Paris into the modern metropolises we know today. From the flames that consumed medieval London in 1666 to the earth-shattering quake that leveled Lisbon in 1755, to Napoleon III's ambitious reimagining of Paris-each crisis sparked radical reinvention. London, 1666: The Great Fire didn't just destroy four-fifths of the medieval city-it cleared the way for Christopher Wren's architectural revolution and the birth of modern urban planning. Lisbon, 1755: The most powerful earthquake in European history-three times more devastating than Krakatoa-didn't just flatten Portugal's capital. It launched the Enlightenment's first experiment in rational city design, creating Europe's most modern urban grid. Paris, 1850s-1870s: Napoleon III and his iron-willed prefect Baron Haussmann didn't just modernize a city-they invented the template for every major urban renewal project that followed, carving boulevards through medieval neighborhoods and creating the Paris of light and air we recognize today. Drawing from Dr. Kenneth Maxwell's acclaimed Harvard lecture, this trilingual study reveals how political ambition, social upheaval, and visionary leadership converged to reshape three of Europe's greatest cities. More than urban history, it's a masterclass in how societies transform crisis into opportunity-and how the cities we build reflect the civilizations we aspire to become. Available in English, French, and Portuguese-the languages of the three cities that dared to rebuild themselves from scratch.
