Overal Alphaville

'Dark inventory, death of a city edition', een interessant stuk over een mogelijke toekomst van de grote stad waar het gunstiger is om huizen leeg te laten staan. 'Legacy' is overigens het nieuwe buzzword, nietwaar? Vraag me of ik een legacy occupant van Amsterdam ben.

Imagine the scenario many years along: streets and streets of vacant properties and offices, because there’s simply no one left who can afford the rents that can make renting worthwhile for landlords. And even though high prices have encouraged large volumes of new supply to be created by developers these have ended up mostly in the hands of wealth-preservationists, going straight into dark inventory stores.

The capital city retains value only as a retail showroom, a cultural tourist spot and/or an arts and social hub for visitors or legacy occupants. But it has all the same been significantly dehumanised because almost no-one can afford to work there. The workers have either been replaced by robots and technology, or forced (unwittingly) into servitude to a faceless overseer who grants them permission to live rent free. Yes, yes.. think Jean-Luc Godard’s Alphaville.

Meanwhile, inevitably, the outskirt flourished as people from the city relocated to more affordable rural or regional parts of the country. This was facilitated by the internet which increasingly enabled people to work from wherever they choose.