In an interview with journalist Pieternel Gruppen, Wouter Vanstiphout describes how the corona crisis shows us that cities are much more vulnerable than we thought. Vanstiphout describes how world cities such as Paris, Berlin, Barcelona - but also Amsterdam and Rotterdam turn out to be "giants on clay feet". In recent years they have become involved in a competition for attention, in order to get as high as possible on the international rankings. “In order to always be able to sell the city as a product to the world, politicians say that the residents are of secondary importance. I believe that this attitude has led to a fragile economy; such a city must always operate at the cutting edge. After all, with the smallest margins, a flexible labor market and the housing market, you attract headquarters.”
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