Today, two of my classmates and I visited 59 Rivoli, a cultural center that featured several artist work spaces. According to their website, it began when a few artists went into a deteriorating building, cleaned it up and started creating art in 1999. The space is beautiful, the majority of the walls are covered in color and life. After dodging an eviction from the government, the new mayor visited the space during his election and decided to allow them to have it, and it has remained an artist space to this day. It’s open to the public, although they sell their art and accept donations.
Across the country, the effects of under-regulated real estate market have had a decidedly negative effect on peoples lives. Irresponsible home loans played an enormous factor in the last recession. San Francisco has become excessively for people who aren’t in the tech industry. New York and London are also facing similar problems, where rent control laws don’t fully protect people from being forced out of communities where people live.
But when I consider the best parts of these cities, I could list off a few hundred things without mentioning real estate developments. The music I hear on the subway, the small restaurants I discover, the museums I attend, are all the parts I tell people about and take photos of. And yet many of these exist only as long as they can afford to pay an individual or business who simply owns land.
59 Rivoli wasn’t founded by young genius’s working in a garage to invent the next big thing. It wasn’t started by bold captains of industry who revolutionized their field and made billions. It was founded by people who had passions, and wanted to fulfill those passions while being able to put food on the table. And that’s what makes a city run.
Anyway, here are some nice pictures.
