Is growth
ruining towns like Johannesburg and Bratislava? Should anything be done to keep new housing developments in
check? Do people who live in a country
have the right to access its land and natural beauties, or does economic growth
demand that we often give this privilege to the rich?
Firstly, I want to say, I absolutely agree it isn’t right to allow rich people to build their mansions on public properties. That’s why I find it terrible that it’s so “common” in Slovakia. Many rich people like to build their houses in nature so they will have a nice view, nice vicinity and most importantly privacy. All of that is nice, and I would probably love to live in any of those houses, but I think that I wouldn’t be able to live with the feeling that I stole for myself something what is meant to be for everybody. But apparently, that isn’t a problem for Slovak businessmen, politics or celebrities. They want to show us they are something more than we are and that they can have whatever they want.
ReplyDeleteReally great example about this issue is buying lands around lakes. Rich people build here their huge houses, then build fences around whole area and put here huge blackboards with signs that say: “Do not enter! This is private property.” And as a result you can’t go swimming to the public lake, because you simply can’t find a way to get there.
Another interesting example is Mr. Paška’s apartment in Košice, as it is located in City Park. Good part about it is that the park is being renovated and improved. But on the other hand, the park had been fenced with huge metal fence and is now separated from everything else, the paths in front of the house had been changed and now there is a new no entry sign. Also parking lots next to park disappeared, so now ordinary people don’t have a place where to park their cars when they want to visit the park. And the bottom line is that the park is being closed every night at 10/9 o’clock. After that time you can’t be there otherwise you will be thrown out. Isn’t it ironic that every night public park is forbidden for the public?
To conclude, building private objects on public properties is a bad, immoral thing. It allows rich people to get lands, which are meant for all of us, hide them behind walls and have them just for themselves.
Rebeka Zanechalová, 3.A
My opinion is that it’s a new form a of supply and demand. It just works differently for poor and rich people. Poor ones, are looking for anything particularly cheap and affordable. But rich people are looking for their comfort, for their huge investments and probably a heritage too. Rich people are just getting what they want, WHEREVER they want! But who gives limits to rich people? How can we possibly control their spendings if they have a right to have their own properties. If we aren’t controlling the poor ones, their choice of their apartment, why should we control rich people and their choice of a location of their mansion and it’s largeness.
ReplyDeleteI think we should set the same limits for everyone. I don’t think it’s fair that rich people have the right to build anything anywhere they want just because they have money. I was shocked by the wall, that was mentioned in the article. It reminds me of the Berlin wall. Kind of limits the freedom too. Not the freedom of the rich ones, they are probably just trying to “protect” themselves in a way. But the freedom of regular people. The freedom to see the beauty of the land which is behind the wall. But this world isn’t fair. It’s not possible to make poor and rich equal.
At least I think, us, regular people, should try to protest if we are witnesses of getting nature destroyed by buildings. For example I have experienced that if local citizens made a petition against building in nature, it worked. I live in a part of the city called “Dlhé diely”, we have a huge forest in here, which is enriched by development-untouched meadow. Well-known financial group came there and decided to build a huge apartment building, because there is a nice view to Austria. But citizens, who are spending their free time with their kids and dogs there were protesting and signing petitions like crazy. Surprisingly it worked! I think in unity, there is power.
That should be a solution to problems with too many buildings even in Johannesburg, I’m glad that the author of the article have written it, so maybe locals may be aware of it, and begin to act.
To conclude, I’m aware of the nowadays inequality between rich and poor people. But I’m also aware of the strength that we have if we fight against developers and “wanna show my richness”
snobs. Just act!
Firstly, I think money should not allow you unlimited access to everything you think of. There should exist some uncorrupted authorities restricting exact boundaries where you can built your house and where you cannot, due to natural damage and harm to citizens which would be then deprived of opportunity to enjoy certain natural wealth. Unfortunately in Bratislava we do not have such ones. And even if we have, there is no major problem to bribe the director of this institution and obtain needed permission. Therefore well off people can build a houseboat in reservation for example at Jarovce branch of the river. What more, they did not just built houseboat in protected bird on the Danube; they also closed many pavements which were usually used by students who walked there to local school. They simply declared these pavements as a part of their private property and entry of unauthorized person is prohibited. I understand that there will never be the equality of rich and poor, I am not such utopian person. But I certainly think that building a wall around piece of a land, which was previously amazing natural landscape, is intolerable. It is offensive violation of everyone’s right to visit this area and pleasing by wonderful nature. Why should money allow someone to possess something what is dedicated to all of us? To build private objects on public areas is simply unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteFor us commoners, as we were marked in the article, left just one choice. If we continue tolerating illegal construction there soon won’t be any piece of public area, untouched and owned by developers. We have to act immediately. Either by petitions or demonstrations to show relevant institutions that what they do is wrong. We have to develop pressure to show them that we disagree with a fact that rich people can buy grounds located on public property and they cannot freely build their mansions there, on our land.