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Partial explanation: Gentrification + increased costs because of inflation is my understanding. Berlin has been relatively underpopulated ever since WW2 which

Partial explanation: Gentrification + increased costs because of inflation is my understanding. Berlin has been relatively underpopulated ever since WW2 which seems to have contributed to a de-gentrified situation which allowed an unique culture to grow. But time's are changing. Look at this pop graph: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_population_statistics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_population_statistics Still hasn't caught up with the peak in the 1930:s.

scoofy 1y ago
>a de-gentrified situation What does this even mean? Does this mean "low cost of living"? I feel like gentrification due to post-war generational housing shortages is now just a catch all term for increasing cost of living in general.
- worldsayshi 1y ago
  Sure it's mostly about cost of living but also relatively good access to abandoned buildings (and perhaps other services) that could be used for non housing purposes. A lot of Berlin clubs and art venues started in buildings that were abandoned if I understand correctly. I recall that there were interesting similarities after depopulation events like the black plague. Suddenly there's a surplus of built infrastructure.
- szundi 1y ago
  [dead]
- oezi 1y ago
  Berlin lost over 1.5m inhabitants in the time since 1945 to its lowest point after reunification (due to being a divided city without much industrial jobs). At it height 1 in 5 apartments were empty in Berlin which pushed rents down below 4 EUR per square meter. A 3 bedroom apartment for less than 500 EURs a month. This was de-gentrification the parent mentioned. Since 2010 population grew and now Berlin has housing shortages like every other capital in Europe. Rents now top 20 EUR per sqm.
- honkostani 1y ago
  The city got expensive, but then other cities in the east are still pretty affordable. Leipzig, Dresden, Jena..
immibis 1y ago
Berlin is the best proof that capitalism destroys culture. We should probably find a way to prevent that from happening. The current German and Berlin government would rather accelerate it though - besides the funding thing, they're currently ramming a highway expansion straight through a cultural area. To answer the question in replies, good East Berlin developed in the relative anarchy when the Soviet Union collapsed and no new system was really established yet. (Being able to exchange deutschemarks for groceries is not capitalism - they had that in communism too.) The western end of Berlin, by contrast, wasn't culturally interesting in the same way, and didn't change much when the wall fell. Not that symphony orchestras and painting galleries aren't culture, but they're not the kind we're talking about here, the kind that develops bottom up when people are given the freedom to do what they want. dang informed me by email that this is a bad comment and I deserve to be, and have been, punished for posting it.
- Thorrez 1y ago
  Did the prior good Belin culture develop under a economic system other than capitalism?
  - worldsayshi 1y ago
    Yeah I don't agree that this proves something about capitalism but it does indicate that an abundance of cheap housing/buildings makes culture thrive.
    - pantalaimon 1y ago
      It's politics that prevents the construction of cheap housing, not capitalism.
      - immibis 1y ago
        Capitalism is a subset of politics
        1y ago

scoofy 1y ago

>a de-gentrified situation What does this even mean? Does this mean "low cost of living"? I feel like gentrification due to post-war generational housing shortages is now just a catch all term for increasing cost of living in general.

worldsayshi 1y ago
Sure it's mostly about cost of living but also relatively good access to abandoned buildings (and perhaps other services) that could be used for non housing purposes. A lot of Berlin clubs and art venues started in buildings that were abandoned if I understand correctly. I recall that there were interesting similarities after depopulation events like the black plague. Suddenly there's a surplus of built infrastructure.
szundi 1y ago
[dead]
oezi 1y ago
Berlin lost over 1.5m inhabitants in the time since 1945 to its lowest point after reunification (due to being a divided city without much industrial jobs). At it height 1 in 5 apartments were empty in Berlin which pushed rents down below 4 EUR per square meter. A 3 bedroom apartment for less than 500 EURs a month. This was de-gentrification the parent mentioned. Since 2010 population grew and now Berlin has housing shortages like every other capital in Europe. Rents now top 20 EUR per sqm.
honkostani 1y ago
The city got expensive, but then other cities in the east are still pretty affordable. Leipzig, Dresden, Jena..

immibis 1y ago

Berlin is the best proof that capitalism destroys culture. We should probably find a way to prevent that from happening. The current German and Berlin government would rather accelerate it though - besides the funding thing, they're currently ramming a highway expansion straight through a cultural area. To answer the question in replies, good East Berlin developed in the relative anarchy when the Soviet Union collapsed and no new system was really established yet. (Being able to exchange deutschemarks for groceries is not capitalism - they had that in communism too.) The western end of Berlin, by contrast, wasn't culturally interesting in the same way, and didn't change much when the wall fell. Not that symphony orchestras and painting galleries aren't culture, but they're not the kind we're talking about here, the kind that develops bottom up when people are given the freedom to do what they want. dang informed me by email that this is a bad comment and I deserve to be, and have been, punished for posting it.

Thorrez 1y ago
Did the prior good Belin culture develop under a economic system other than capitalism?
- worldsayshi 1y ago
  Yeah I don't agree that this proves something about capitalism but it does indicate that an abundance of cheap housing/buildings makes culture thrive.
  - pantalaimon 1y ago
    It's politics that prevents the construction of cheap housing, not capitalism.
    - immibis 1y ago
      Capitalism is a subset of politics
      - 1y ago