sample worthy at the 3:50 mark
Interesting to see that it’s similar in NYC to London, where I live. I think so-called “gentrification” can definitely be an issue. Some London boroughs (and other areas in other towns and cities) often get long-overdue redevelopment and it can actually bring work to the area and make them nicer places to live and work, but it can also push out low-income people who have lived there for years as the prices rise. Rent control is basically non-existent in the UK so landlords can just jack up the price as they see fit.
One thing I would add is that some people make very questionable choices with their lifestyle and money and then don’t think about where the money is going. Somebody I used to work with in her mid-late 20s was complaining about her sky-high rent but she had chosen, of her own free will, to live on her own in a very expensive and “exclusive” inner London area . She could have lived in a shared house with friends and it would have saved her a fortune. She was trying to save for a deposit to buy but she wasn’t prepared to compromise in order to do that, not even temporarily. I lived in shared houses for 10 years until I got married.
I also know people who go out boozing all the time and spend £5 or £10 per day on coffee from the coffee shop. They complain that they’re broke but they aren’t, they’ve just spent all their money! It’s not the same thing! I also know people who go out and buy lunch every day from the office at £10+. It’s not a massive mystery where all their money is disappearing.
Of course, it’s not for me to tell anybody else how to live because it’s a free country/world, but you can only spend the money once and some people don’t budget, don’t think about their spending and just buy whatever they like. That’s not very sustainable. But nor is the property price in many towns and cities so I sympathise. Something’s got to give.
Anyway, interesting topic.
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An issue here is large developers from outside the country come in and buy up city centre locations for cheap and muscle out local businesses or residential areas that are run down and in need of upgrading. They then leave the sites empty for years which damages the surrounding areas, prices fall and they buy up more land. Eventually they put up generic developments and fancy apartments and sell on for big profits which now makes the area unaffordable for local businesses. Gentrification is a little shite
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My advice is simply-get out….
In London especially this is a huge issue - there are apparently whole luxury apartment blocks that barely have any actual residents in them. Maybe a couple of AirBnB’s if you’re lucky.
Which is extremely problematic because you need LOTS of those people to keep a city like London moving and operational (in fact they’re the only people you need) - which has the effect of immigrants stuffed into tiny illegal flats. The wealth divide that can be witnessed in a city like London is staggering.
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There should be government policy to address that. It just fuels more property speculation. Has to be said I don’t know what the answer is … compulsory purchase at 90% of market price over preceding year, reducing year by year ? Probably someone will see a flaw in that … straight off the top of my head.
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I hate gentrification. I’m from Berlin where it took over big time and now i’m in Leipzig where the same thing happens, only slower. It’s a shame.
One thing that i don’t really believe is the increasing crime rate. I think it has more to do with the media nowadays. There are so many “journalists” these days that want to find shocking news for their viewers. I could be wrong though. But i feel safer in Berlin now than back in the days. Maybe because i’m older now. And there definitely weren’t crazy people dressed in green beating up people. Wtf!
In the end these are all luxury problems. In other countries people have to fear for their lives everyday and i’m complaining about having to move to another place.
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Now, living anywhere in Sweden isn’t close in comparison to living in London or New York.
BUT!
The best decision me and my wife ever took was to move to her little town in the northern parts of Sweden where she was born and raised. I immediately felt a calm washing over me when we moved in, tge closeness to nature and the overall lower tempo up here is incredibly relieving.
I am a bit fortunate though since I have a great job which I only have to commute to 2 days of the week and the travel is roughly 3 Swedish miles one way, so I feel very fortunate that I can enjoy nature on my breaks while walking the dog.
And my wife works for the municipality so she can walk or bike to work very easily.
I highly recommend this change of pace to anyone who has the ability to make the change!
I firmly believe that Urbanization isn’t healthy for humans, not to the extent it is now at least.
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NYC started to really suck 10 years ago now it totally blows. I’m fortunate to live in a nice 2 bedroom rent stabilized apartment in a very pretty neighborhood which sort of makes me too poor to move in a weird way. I guess Austin is worse tho… Where can anyone move these days, at least in the US, that is cheap and has some sort of cultural vitality?
I feel bad when I read about these American “digital nomads” move to Mexico City or wherever as I know how obnoxious most of them must be and disruptive to the culture of the place.
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This turned into a get off my lawn thread fast. The only take-away is cumsponge is now in my vocabulary.
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Only the very rich in cities have lawns…
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Too much for someone’s mirror though…
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Ha, love the condescending punctuation.
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Moving to a small town from a city changed my life for better in so many ways.
Less stress, lower rent, I know my neighbors and enjoy that a lot, less pollution, more time, better focus on the essentials, more nature, less noise, more eye contact with strangers, more happiness.
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I think once you reach a certain age and have lived in city for an extended period of time they all start to suck regardless of rising rents etc…
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This is all that matters, where-ever you may find it.
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How is it condescending?
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My solution has been to move somewhere so unfashionable nobody will want to buy it up.
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