61–70 of 184 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry for the hipsters, but Berlin is the capital of the biggest economy in Europe and it was once one of the biggest metropolises in the world plus one of the biggest hubs of economy and science. It was always destined to go towards its past glory once Germany reunited. The only question was: "how long will it take for that to happen?".
Maybe Leipzig is the new Berlin :)
I always find it amusing that American companies, be it Amazon or Google, are surprised that people don't want them here. They seem to really believe people love them, whereas in fact people use them because they have to, and put up with problems caused by them also because they have to.
> I think Google were surprised that they came up against opposition,” says Stefan Klein, a local activist with the GloReiche neighbourhood group at one of their twice-weekly open sessions.
So, one activist thinks that Google is surprised (which sounds quite naive IMHO).
Then later in the article:
> A Google spokesman in Berlin says that the company has spoken to residents about their concerns and is incorporating their feedback into its plans. “We live in Berlin ourselves, we understand the concerns of neighbours about gentrification and know how Kreuzberg has been developing in recent years.”
I always find it amusing that American companies, be it Amazon or Google, are surprised that people don't want them here. They seem to really believe people love them, whereas in fact people use them because they have to, and put up with problems caused by them also because they have to.
I live in this neighbourhood and my office is on the same street, one block from the new campus. The area is nice and lively, so I get people want an office there (hell, I did the same!). But Google has the means to positively impact the less hip, more strugling parts of Berlin. I bet people would welcome them with open arms in Marzhan or Wedding.
Yes, but would the people Google wants to hire want to work in Marzahn or Wedding?
I think Berlins "Poor but happy" times are fast coming to an end. Rents have been rising quickly the last few years and tech companies and startups becoming more prevalent. Heck, Neukölln went from being a cheap alternative to being as trendy and expensive as Kreuzberg. Berlin kinda, from what I understand, enjoyed it's special culture much because it wasn't an industrial city and lacked an large international airpor…
Sorry for the hipsters, but Berlin is the capital of the biggest economy in Europe and it was once one of the biggest metropolises in the world plus one of the biggest hubs of economy and science. It was always destined to go towards its past glory once Germany reunited. The only question was: "how long will it take for that to happen?".
It is however very central for Europe, and is fairly well placed for growth in the eastern EU.
I live in this neighbourhood and my office is on the same street, one block from the new campus. The area is nice and lively, so I get people want an office there (hell, I did the same!). But Google has the means to positively impact the less hip, more strugling parts of Berlin. I bet people would welcome them with open arms in Marzhan or Wedding.
Yes, but would the people Google wants to hire want to work in Marzahn or Wedding?
I think Berlins "Poor but happy" times are fast coming to an end. Rents have been rising quickly the last few years and tech companies and startups becoming more prevalent. Heck, Neukölln went from being a cheap alternative to being as trendy and expensive as Kreuzberg. Berlin kinda, from what I understand, enjoyed it's special culture much because it wasn't an industrial city and lacked an large international airpor…
I agree completely that "cheap Berlin" is rapidly disappearing. Just this morning I was checking real-estate prices[0] for the first time in a few years and was a bit shocked. Folks in Silicon Valley or Munich or Hamburg would probably still find it cheap-ish but AFAIK local salaries have not remotely kept up with this trend. A million Euros for a nice family-sized flat in a good neighborhood is not exotic anymore, b…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Stockholm has a thriving tech industry and not really low tax rates. Tech can easily headquarter in a low tax domicile and employ most people in another country, all bigger companies are already doing that. I don't think that the difference in income tax explains where tech companies settle, it'll be much more dependent on availability of talent (and how easy it is to get people to move there). That's why Amsterdam,…
Yeah, but a huge problem with finding accommodation for it's recruits. In contrast to Berlin it's impossible to get a first hand rent contract. A second hand is going to be super expensive and buying somewhere somewhat central is ridiculously expensive. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nordics-housing/both-immi...
I was there ~15 years ago and it was bad then. It's remarkable that it's even worse now.
Stockholm is a fairly small city too. A million or so roughly.
At least it's my perspective that these sorts of neighbourhood changes are impossible to prevent. Does anyone know of any examples otherwise?