[xubiqtss]

I wish it were otherwise but urbanism is quickly approaching its limit as a solution for general societal decay. Throwing up more towers is just a recipe for islands of extreme wealth amid oceans of poverty. Someone mentioned favelas and yes...this is the Brazilian model.

A bit of a sidebar but I think the origins are worth exploring, from an economic/material perspective...

The 'golden era' of North American cities emerged from the postwar détente between big business and labour, when a relatively decent life was possible with a high school education. Both sides advocated for their interests and kept one another in check. A healthy welfare state minimized precariousness. Not a perfect system but this is generally seen as the high point. The elites of the postwar consensus understood that the lower class must be afforded a certain quality of life or it would lead to general societal chaos and abandonment of faith in the system. Sound familiar?

In the 70s/80s this balance fell drastically out of wack when business and right-wing politicians began a full-on assault on labour and welfare, (prompted by what some would consider overreach by the unions) based on a theoretical belief that the free market would self-regulate, and in doing so, solve social problems (think Reagan's "trickle down", Thatcher's "there's no such thing as society, only individuals").

Since this began, economic inequality has massively increased, organized labour membership has been decimated to an all-time low, and welfare provisions have been slashed. As Warren Buffett admitted, there is class war, and "my class won." We are now at a point in history where it's impossible to understate how lopsided the balance of class power is. One side straight-up stopped fighting decades ago. "The people" have lost faith in the system, and cynicism is the order of the day. Organized labour once offered people purpose and pride in their community (think Labour Temples), whereas now it's more common to be a 'gig' worker, shuttling around Skip the Dishes, with absolutely no security or chance for community organizing.

I hope that the pendulum can swing back the other way. I think a new class compromise is the only way to a better city, but the professional class will have to give up ground. Higher taxes and less corporate handouts need to be on the table. This is not just a Winnipeg problem. The only way this situation gets better is by lifting up the whole. When I hear the Premier's glib response to Manitoba having the lowest minimum wage in Canada I get genuinely upset. What's the point of beautiful towers in downtown Winnipeg if the rest of it is an impoverished sewer?