It is a peaceful champion of a soft European version of liberalism. While firmly embedded within the European Union, Germany has essentially become its sole, though by no means, absolute leader.
Her legacy will live on long after she steps down from the leadership. Merkel is leaving behind very big shoes to fill.Īngela Merkel’s sixteen years as German chancellor have shaped Berlin’s place and role in Europe and in the twenty-first-century world at large. The future of the relationship will depend in no small measure on who succeeds her and how skilled that successor is at the art of statecraft. However, the modifications humans make to their surroundings in order to urbanize such places can impact the environment in negative ways: pollution, disruption of water flow, deforestation, and desertification.Įxplore the effects of urbanization on the environment and help students explore how human cities impact the world around us with this curated collection of resources.Seen from Moscow, Angela Merkel’s long tenure was a period of relative, if not always palatable, predictability in German-Russian relations. Modern urban cities like New York City, Beijing, Dubai, and Paris are bustling centers of business, entertainment, and trade. Even the ancient Incan, Egyptian, or Chinese civilizations, changed their environment in order to urbanize. Urban areas are defined by dense populations, the construction of multiple and often large buildings, monuments and other structures, and greater economic dependence on trade rather than agriculture or fishing. Over time, as these rural populations grew, cities began to develop. The development of human civilizations was supported by large numbers of people who lived in sparsely-populated rural areas defined by agriculture, fishing, and trade. For now, cities and their residents must find paths toward economic improvement that benefit both old communities and new ones. There is even some research that suggests that black, working-class families tend to stay in gentrified neighborhoods rather than leave them, and that the economic benefits of gentrification do indeed reach all residents. Rising costs of living and a changing landscape for jobs mean that the benefits gentrification brings to an area are often distributed unequally.īecause the potential economic benefits of gentrifying neighborhoods are very great, however, there are lively debates about whether gentrification is good or bad and whether it should be embraced or resisted. Perhaps worst of all, the old residents themselves may be forced to leave. Old shops, restaurants, and other neighborhood features may be driven out by storefronts that cater to new residents. Developers begin to tear down old housing to build new. More people move into the area to take advantage of those opportunities, and then the desirability of that area increases even more. As a result, the low cost of moving into those neighborhoods opened them up to gentrification.Īs a neighborhood gentrifies, the economic opportunity that it represents increases. These factors combined to reduce opportunities in many urban areas. After this process was complete, the new majority-African American communities were denied the money they needed to invest in improvements to their neighborhoods through a practice called redlining. They encouraged black families to pay a premium to move into particular urban neighborhoods so that white families would sell their houses at a low price to move out to the suburbs. In order to encourage people to move into suburbs, real estate brokers practiced something called blockbusting. They provided the advantages of urban environments without the disadvantages of living in close proximity to others. During the postwar economic boom, many suburbs appeared, located on the outskirts of cities. The poor communities of color who tend to inhabit neighborhoods targeted for gentrification were often the victims of unfair housing policies from the end of World War II. Gentrification is thus a complicated issue that involves many different stakeholders and perspectives. At the same time, gentrification brings much needed investment into long-neglected areas. These changes may drive out people of color and minority-owned businesses. Rising costs of living and a changing community culture can make for a difficult adjustment for longtime residents. The people and businesses that move into gentrifying neighborhoods may have goals for their new homes that are at odds with the goals of people who have lived there for a long time. Gentrification describes a process where wealthy, college-educated individuals begin to move into poor or working-class communities, often originally occupied by communities of color.
0 kommentar(er)
