In the 1960s, the population of the city and the surrounding suburbs had grown to 8 million inhabitants, and 150,000 migrants were arriving each year, both from other regions of France and abroad. Automobiles, very few in number in the 1950s, become more and more common; yet the French state had built only 29 kilometers of highways; portions of the
autoroutes to the west and south and to Sceaux. No highways came into the center of Paris.
A regional transit system, the RER (Reseau express regional) to serve the suburbs had been begun in 1961, and the first line began to operate in 1969, but the planners had underestimated the number of passengers; the passengers coming by the RER to the Gare de Lyon and to Chatelet, the main stations connecting to the metro, jammed the metro stations and cars.
Five of the eight new cities were constructed between 1969 and 1973: Évry, Cergy (1969), Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (1970); Marne-la-Vallée (1972), and Melun and Sénart (1973). The new cities were expected to hold a total of five million persons within twenty years.
The 1960s had also seen a gradual departure of industry from the Paris suburbs to just outside the Paris region, to Rouen, Le Mans, Orléans, and Reims. Between 1962 and 1968, the number of employees in Paris, particularly industrial workers, declined by 1.2 percent, while it grew in other regions of France.
These black and white photos were taken by
Robert Rynerson that show street scenes of Paris in December 1969.
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| Activity around Gare Austerlitz, Paris, December 1969, |
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| “Train-off” poster at Gare de la Bastille. The station was to be closed and the head of the line moved to Nation Metro station, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Activity around Gare Austerlitz, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Activity around Gare Austerlitz, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Activity around Gare Austerlitz, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Activity around Gare Austerlitz, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Activity around Gare Austerlitz, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Activity around Gare Austerlitz, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Buses congregate in a tight loop at Gare de Lyon, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Commuter service at Gare St. Lazare, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Commuter service at Gare St. Lazare, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Commuter service at Gare St. Lazare. Relief locomotive stands by near terminal throat, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Commuter service at Gare St. Lazare. Walkway compels users to look both ways, Paris, December 1969 |
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| From Gare St. Lazare on a commuter rail line entirely within the city, Paris, December 1969 |
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| From Gare St. Lazare on a commuter rail line entirely within the city, Paris, December 1969 |
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| From Gare St. Lazare on a commuter rail line entirely within the city, Paris, December 1969 |
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| From Gare St. Lazare on a commuter rail line entirely within the city, Paris, December 1969 |
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| From Gare St. Lazare on a commuter rail line entirely within the city. A view from the train, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Gare de la Bastille soon to be closed, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Gare de la Bastille soon to be closed, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Gare de la Bastille soon to be closed, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Gare de la Bastille soon to be closed, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Metro crosses the Seine and cuts through SNCF station, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Metro crosses the Seine, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Metro station at Gare de la Bastille soon to be closed, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Scenes in the inner city, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Scenes in the inner city, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Scenes in the inner city, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Scenes in the inner city, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Street scenes, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Street scenes, Paris, December 1969 |
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| The city enveloped in coal smoke and vehicle exhaust, Paris, December 1969 |
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| The city enveloped in coal smoke and vehicle exhaust, Paris, December 1969 |
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| The city enveloped in coal smoke and vehicle exhaust, Paris, December 1969 |
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| The Opera gets a facelift, Paris, December 1969 |
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| The working end of Gare Austerlitz. This station was the Paris anchor for routes to the southwest of France, Paris, December 1969 |
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| The working end of Gare Austerlitz. This station was the Paris anchor for routes to the southwest of France, Paris, December 1969 |
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| The working end of Gare Austerlitz. This station was the Paris anchor for routes to the southwest of France, Paris, December 1969 |
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| Up the stairs from the Metro to Gare de la Bastille, soon to be closed, Paris, December 1969 |
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| View from the 5th floor of the Hotel Brighton, under the mansard roof at the discount NATO rate, Paris, December 1969 |
