Analysis of economic activities during a century of urban growth in Paris Evolution between 1829 and 1907 of the spatial distribution of cafes and restaurants in Paris. Researchers Marc Barthelemy (Institut de Physique Théorique and Centre d'Analyse et de Mathématique Sociales, EHESS), and Julie Gravier (Centre de Recherches Historiques and Centre d'Analyse et de Mathématique Sociales, EHESS) have just published in the prestigious journal Nature cities [1] their findings on the analysis of economic activities in a century of urban growth in the city of Paris.

Contemporary studies on the dynamics of economic activity in growing cities generally focus on periods of a few years or a few decades. Using a recently constructed geohistorical database containing around 1 million entries from historical directories, this study presents a detailed analysis of economic activities in Paris over almost a century (1829-1907).

The authors show that activities can be classified into three categories according to their dynamics and their scaling law in relation to population: (1) linear for everyday needs such as food and healthcare, (2) sublinear for public services such as education and administration, and (3) superlinear for specialized or temporary trends. The study also shows that these activities are highly sensitive to historical events, such as major public works or political conflicts, offering new insights into the evolution of activities in growing cities.

[1] Julie Gravier et Marc Barthelemy, A typology of activities over a century of urban growth, Nature Cities 1, pages 567–575 (2024)