Germany’s Gentrification: Should North America Take Note? (Leipzig)

Germany understands gentrification, and it could teach North America a few tricks on how to gentrify sustainably. After the collapse of the Berlin wall many cities in the former East Germany had to gentrify in order to keep their cities from falling into disrepair. In other words, they needed to attract wealthier people to poorer cities. Leipzig, a city 2 hours south of Berlin, has been praised for its successful rebuild over the last 20-30 years. We dive deep into how Leipzig found itself in need of massive change and what it did to gentrify without massive negative impacts. In addition, we take the lessons that Leipzig learned and break down how North American cities could use these lessons to gentrify their cities without the displacement, price increases, and homelessness typically associated with gentrification. Leipzig's graffiti alley and surrounding neighbourhood of Plagwitz are great examples of a uniquely gentrified city. A neighbourhood fill with graffiti, street art, music and more. Hopefully the lessons Leipzig has to offer can help change gentrification from a negative to a positive! #germany #gentrification #leipzig #graffiti #streetart INSTAGRAM: @gofortheunknown WHO AM I: I'm Zac, a Canadian who grew up in the golden horseshoe of Ontario, Canada. I moved to Ottawa, Ontario when I was 22 and now I'm travelling the world one alley way at a time!