world cities without people
Well, we can’t have those types in our "world city," now can we:
Selling Berlin as a world city is hard. It has lots of renovated museums, theatres and clubs, plus 400 contemporary-art galleries. Artists, film-makers and some politicians have revived its big-city feel. But whereas London and Paris boast plenty of rich people, Berlin does not. One in two live on a pension or unemployment benefit; even those with jobs earn an average of only €32,600 a year. Well-heeled Germans pay the odd visit, but prefer to live in more opulent places like Munich or Hamburg.
For slightly less monocular reads on Berlin, you can check out sit down man and infinite thought…
A nicely instructive contrast between Berlin and London (as paragon of the ‘anglo-saxon model’
is that in Berlin, despite the very high unemployment rate everything works: public transport, cost of living, etc all functioning perfectly well, hence its distinct pleasantness (although its not as if the class struggle doesn’t exist there: being unemployed as a part-time DJ, artist or writer in Prenzlauer Berg or as an ex-steel worker in Marzahn is going to be a very different kettle of fish).
But meanwhile in London, where practically everyone works, and extremely long hours at that, nothing works: public services are at absolute breaking point, and unsurprisingly there’s a general air of suppressed (or not) violence, general meanness and tension which is well overdue in exploding…