At a birthday-party yesterday, we got talking about freeezzing European temperatures and the deaths of over 200 homeless East-Europeans. A friend who has been to Romanian Capial Bucharest twice in recent years said he was surprised to see only a few beggars /homeless, while the number seems to be steadily growing in Copenhagen.. – I am not sure if his obervations in Romania are accurate, but anyway, another replied jokingly: “They have all jumped on a bus to Copenhagen, London”, etc.
Then today, this news-bite caught my attention: Romania’s population falls by 12% - ( from 22 mio. to 19 mio. in just 10 years ).
Meanwhile, in Malmö, Sweden: Gated Communities are coming..
Google Translation from article in Swedish newspaper ”Expressen”:
Luxury accommodation - with guards
395 luxury apartments behind guarded gates.
Now, Sweden’s first ”gated community” - and the facility
- Victoria Park – immediately receives heavy criticism.
Göran Cars, Professor of the Built Environment at KTH – (Royal Technical Highschool) :
Tragic. It is a sign of a societal development that is terribly unfortunate
Here it becomes like a club. People are more afraid to stay in public places and you feel the need to confine yourself
It’s a signal you send out very clearly: ”We are not safe, we want to shut out the outside world.”
This housing form is an effect of that society no longer meet citizens’ needs for security.
It is expensive, unwelcoming and sad. And yet it is safe and security weighs so heavily.
Nevertheless, potential customers queue up, and new gated communities are being planned in other major Swedish cities.
Some statistics:
2011 total reported rapes: 392 ( population: 5.5 mio, )
