What's on my mind

To start, housing/living in Berlin, which is becoming denatured by gentrification. It's not just that mostly luxury condominiums have been built in recent years but also all kinds of neighborhood services and sociocultural venues have been hit by exorbitant rent increases that have forced them to move or close. Fortunately, there's active resistance!

Here are links to my long reads on the subject, with the most recent at the top. To understand the history, start with the first – at the bottom!

 

In November 2023, I followed news of the Dublin riots with great unease. Then, while spending a month in Dublin this fall, I heard many causal comments blaming "foreigners" - especially for the lack of affordable housing. But that huge problem is due to years of neoliberal policies by the same parties seeking re-election in 2024, who have also been dog-whistling far-right groups. My article on the subject was published the eve of the Irish parliamentary elections.

It's housing, stupid! 

Many years have passed with only bad news. Targets for housing construction are not being met and "Eigenbedarf" (landlords needing apartments for themselves or close family members) has become big business, with elected officials making no serious effort to control the widespread abuse. 

Added to that is a more flagrantly racist approach to politics and policing, and more surreptitious ways of gentrifying. I published this article on 29 September 2024.

"Fence up, floodlights on, gates locked – problem solved!"

It seemed that nothing much was happening for a few years. Then...

Here's my article from 15 July 2023.

WE TOLD YOU SO! A commission of experts proves Deutsche Wohnen & Co. enteignen right

My first long read from November 2020 introduced basic issues and major campaigns.

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? On Berlin's housing crunch and responses to it

In early February 2021, I addressed the problem of commercial rents and provided updates about major campaigns.

"HOUSES FOR THE PEOPLE WHO READ IN THEM!"  A Berlin Housing Update

In mid-May 2021 I published

URGENTLY NEEDED: LESS "PROFITABILITY" AND MORE HUMANITY

When I first saw a poster about expropriating the big housing corporations that pay prime dividends to stockholders while exploiting tenants, I thought it was a wonderful joke! However, it turned out to be a serious campaign and I joined in, collecting signatures and canvassing for the referendum that got the most support of any Berlin referendum ever. With feedback from other editorial team members, I published two blog posts in German for the Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen website, which, unfortunately, are no longer available.

WENN SIE GEWINNEN, VERLIEREN WIR: Über die angestrebte Fusion von Vonovia und Deutsche Wohnen (WHEN THEY WIN, WE LOSE: On the proposed merger of Vonovia and Deutsche Wohnen)

Since I wrote that, the merger has gone through... and Vonovia has just announced substantial rent increases.

SO SIEHT DEMOKRATIE AUS! (THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!)