Working visits to European cities

Working visits to European cities

Prosperity and well-being is under pressure in Karlsruhe. In recent weeks, Favas.net travelled to various European cities, including Basel, Karlsruhe, Gdansk and Nantes – in Germany, Switzerland, Poland and France respectively. The economic differences between these countries are evident from current figures from the World Bank. The gross national income (GNI) per capita in 2023 at nominal values ​​varies per country.
Switzerland is the undisputed leader with US$95,160 and Poland with US$19,730 is the bottom. Germany (US$53,970) and France (US$45,070) are not far apart. It turns out that it is not easy to ‘read’ these GNI differences directly from the street scene. Nevertheless, the prosperous public space of the Swiss Basel speaks volumes. In contrast, the urban quality of Nantes and Gdansk appears comparable, despite the considerable difference in GNI.
Of course, one must be careful when translating national average figures into local-urban differences. However, during our working visit to Karlsruhe we could not escape the impression that prosperity and well-being in this German city are under pressure, because the streetscape of the Kaiserstrasse is determined on any given Saturday morning by empty shops and social misery.

Source: Favas.net
Image: Favas.net

Prosperity and well-being under pressure in Karlsruhe.
Kaiserstrasse, Karlsruhe (Germany), Saturday morning, October 19, 2024

The other mentioned working visits:
Basel (Switserland), October 17-28, 2024
Gdansk (Poland), October 28-29, 2024
Nantes (France), November 13-14, 2024

Other visited cities and towns not mentioned in the news text:
Germany: Frankfurt am Main, Weil am Rhein;
Poland: Gdynia, Sopot, Warsaw;
France: Saint-Louis;
Belgium: Antwerp;
Netherlands: Amersfoort, The Hague.