A generation ago Europe’s cities seemed safe, well-maintained and glorious while ours were often dangerous, debilitated and dying. Today Paris, arguably the most beautiful city ever crafted by humans, is graffiti-scarred and, in the wake of terrorist attacks, struggles to attract enough tourists. Crime, particularly property crime, is palpably worse — my wife’s Parisian relatives warned about not wearing nice jewelry or watches for fear of them being snatched. Once ultra-peaceful London, meanwhile, once the paragon of safety, in some months now has a higher murder rate than an increasingly safe New York.
Monday, June 25, 2018
Tracking the decline …
… Europe has lost its way in culture and economics – Orange County Register.
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The journalist ought to do a better job of checking his facts. Tourism to Paris has increased, after a terrorism-related downward trend:
ReplyDeletehttps://press.parisinfo.com/news/press-releases
/Paris-record-tourist-numbers-in-2017
My eldest son, who has business interests in Paris and often spends time there (at least 2x per month, several days at a time), does not report the same fears as the Parisian relatives quoted in the piece. I will ask him about the graffiti, however, since he hasn't mentioned it (In my view, graffiti -- street art -- can often be a plus.)
The journalist is actually a specialist in urban studies.
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