May 20, 2003
European depopulation.
Another
Guardian article tells about how the low birth rate in Europe is leading to cities becoming depopulated, and other problems.
Across Europe, people fear their cities will become like Cottbus. So scholars from all the continent are coming here to study its depopulation. In three weeks, Cottbus will play host to a conference of architects and planners titled Public Space in the Time of Shrinkage. Two weeks ago, a similar conference of civic administrators was held in a nearby town, attracting people from a half-dozen countries.
Gee, why do they have to study this problem? Why don't they just open their borders to immigration? Put up a sign: people wanted. All problems solved: plenty of young people to provide for the pensioners, lots of energy, etc. There are plenty of people in the world who'd be delighted to live there. It's so stupid that they're "studying" the problem. Trying to avoid confronting the real problem, racism, is more like it.
