On the demolition of five-story buildings and the renovation plan of Moscow
I think it all depends on the situation. If the city authorities seriously intend to improve the lives of poor and poor families in this way, then I say "Yes!"
However, we often find that all over the world "renovation" is used to satisfy the demand for real estate of people with high income. Low-income families find themselves at a disadvantage: they are being relocated to homes that are far from work and located in much less attractive places than where they lived before.
The recent fire at Grenfell Tower in London would not have turned into a tragedy of this magnitude if quality building materials were used and regular inspections were carried out. The burned down house was for the poor. But for some reason it seems to me that in its place there will be housing for the middle class.
We are witnessing a trend that is steadily gaining momentum: premium-class housing is actively bought up, but remains unoccupied. The owners did not even intend to move in there, buying real estate for them is just a way of capital investment. This leads to de-urbanization.
Now the capital is concentrated in the hands of the top. In the West, after World War II, although in fact even earlier, the main beneficiaries of the mass consumption economy were the poor middle class and the upper stratum of the working class. Now the situation has changed radically. Today the beneficiaries are only 30-40% of the population. The poor part of the middle class and workers began to lose their positions in the 70s, in the next decade the situation became even more complicated and continues to deteriorate to this day.
About megacities and control over them
No big city - I mean just a city, not a small town or giant office jungle - can be completely controlled. One of the consequences of this is that cities are becoming spaces where those without power are able to influence history, culture and economy.
A metropolis, by definition, is not a city, but a collection of cities. It may just be a huge area cluttered with skyscrapers for housing, work and government. In such megacities, there are no truly public spaces, they are not able to evoke a feeling of affection.
Tokyo, London, Beijing - by all indications megalopolises. However, they managed to preserve in themselves most of the features of the city, and the very "state of the city" (cityness - a term belonging to S. Sassen - note N. M.).
About cities and their ability to survive
The city is a complex and incomplete system. It is this combination of qualities that provides cities with a long life, despite any vicissitudes of history.
Formal power structures (both political regimes and economic corporations) disappear from the face of the earth due to the desire to be closed, while cities have existed for centuries and even millennia.
It is thanks to their distinctive feature - openness - that cities are able to undergo radical transformations, in which the ruling dynasties, the state system and huge enterprises perish. Cities are strong, but one should not think that they are indestructible.
The growth in the level of sales of urban real estate turns into an increase in the number of cities. But there are two points of concern here. Firstly, purchased objects are often underutilized. Second, there is essentially a business takeover of the city by investors, and the city authorities lose their ability to regulate and manage this process. Now about a hundred cities in the world are faced with this, some even discuss amendments to laws that will determine who exactly owns the city.
No economic or political entity should own the city. Cities evolved precisely because they were ruled by a multitude of undefined systems. Now they are under threat.
Refugees in Europe and their impact on cities
One of the characteristic age-old features of cities is the culture of bazaars. Representatives of different religions traded with each other, creating a merchant tradition - to overcome any differences. When the day ended, each ethnic or religious group returned to its own community, where it was completely immersed in its culture. Thanks to this, the central position of trade in the city and the urban mentality were formed.
About street protests
Street protests provide an opportunity for those without power to voice their demands. Demonstrations can be about very different things, from garbage collection to police brutality, and cities are the spaces that allow these demands to be made. Previously, plantations and mines played the same role. Compared to them, cities are much more effective in this respect, and besides, they represent the main platform for the emergence of various kinds of alliances. However, all over the world today, occupy-type movements are completely controlled, sometimes by the armed forces.
Street protests are open systems. Anyone can participate in them, regardless of how much he supports the put forward requirements. There is, of course, a risk: street protests are easily joined by opponents who act destructively to undermine the movement's reputation or the value of its beliefs. Nevertheless, the street is perhaps the most important space for protest.
The interview was organized with the participation of the Moscow Urban Forum, in which Saskia Sassen will take part.
