History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 15

History - Essay Example One can hardly deny that there was some influence, but whether the Enlightenment was the primary reason for the French Revolution, or even significantly influenced it, is under question, though there can be no doubt that Enlightenment ideals and thoughts were put into practice during the French Revolution. With careful consideration, one might draw the conclusion that the French Revolution and the Enlightenment created a mutual influence that resulted in the central ideals and visions that fed the Revolution, perpetuated it, and gave it thoughts that were put into practice. Ultimately, this caused a new type of society in France, even as the Enlightenment created a new type of philosophical basis for scientific thinking. According to the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (2010), the Enlightenment involved revolutions not only in scientific thought, but also in the directions of philosophy, religion, society, and politics. In these areas, centuries-old ways of life were swept away and gave way to reason, logic, and a sense of equality among human beings. For example, one of the basic tenets of the Enlightenment, the fact that all men are entitled to basic human rights, was brought into practice even before the actual French Revolution began. It was expounded on in The Declaration of the Rights of Man and The Citizen, published in the French National Assembly in 1789 (â€Å"Declaration of the Rights of Man and The Citizen†). This document was the first document to set out these ideals and concepts with regards to the country of France itself; concepts which, above all, included freedom, liberty, and equality, founded upon the principles of human reason. It is but one example of how Enlighten ment ideals were put into practice in regards to the French Revolution, as the people of France were, in effect, finally stating that enough was enough, and demanding what they felt were their basic human rights (â€Å"Declaration of the Rights of Man and The

Housing Development (Housing Study) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Housing Development (Housing Study) - Essay Example As a matter of fact, only the rich and the elderly can afford living in some communities in England. Low-income earners, more so the youth, are completely priced out when it comes to buying a house in some communities. Unfortunately, the few interventions that were applied to address the issue of house affordability in some communities in England have always been inefficient. According to one Andrew Clark, the head of policy at the National Farmers Union, a number of areas resist any attempts to ease the housing affordability problems. Due to these resistances, it has become rather difficult to propose and implement policies and reforms that would make housing affordable and sustainable (National Housing Federation, 2012). These resistance problems are particularly rampant in beautiful and scenic areas. Therefore, to outline principles and measures to promote housing, the government has devised a localism agenda in addition to the National Planning Policy Framework. These measures so ught to overcome the hindrances to affordable housing supply in rural areas and offer incentives such as New Homes Bonus and an infrastructure levy. While the New Homes Bonus involves the government matching the local authority’s revenue, the infrastructure levy raises funds from developers to pay for community essentials (Haughton and Allmendinger, 2012). Nonetheless, others worry that localism might just be another conservative tool or agenda instead of serving its intended purpose of creating affordable housing for all. This paper explores localism and its implications on housing and planning in England, asserting that housing problems in England will worsen under localism. Drivers of Localism in England The British coalition government has established several programs targeting different spheres of public life. One such sector targeted by these far-reaching reforms is housing. In fact, the planning of housing in England is undergoing some reformation, with the spatial reg ional housing and planning strategies being replaced by a localism approach, which focuses on community-centered housing planning and development. Although some housing stakeholders are of the opinion that localism will result in more opportunities and more houses than the earlier regional-target approach, others tend to disagree, asserting that localism will not improve the situation (South West Observatory, 2012). Still, some sections of the public wonder what localism is and what its possible impacts on housing and planning are. To understand the implications and effects of localism on housing planning, it is important that the drivers behind it and evidence that supports its effectiveness are understood. In England, localism is an approach not only to housing and planning but also to other projects and programmes by the coalition government. In all programmes targeted by the localism policy, the objective is to promote the involvement of local communities rather than the involve ment of the central government. Specifically, localism seeks the collaboration and participation of local communities in the planning and building of houses. Thus, localism encourages local communities not only to identify their problems and needs but also to prioritize them (South West Observatory, 2012). Due to this local involvement in problem identification, these communities have a hand in defining and designing what the services offered to them should look like. Furthermore, local