Slums were not uncommon in Chinese cities a few decades ago, from the precarious working class districts of 1930s Shanghai to the shanty towns of British-occupied Hong Kong in the 1950s onwards. How did China manage to develop in a way that decreased mass housing precarity? What are the structural reasons behind it?
I think the key factor will be the loss of faith in the system. At that point people start having the whole “are we the baddies” moment of self awareness. There will be a lot of turbulence politically, but that’s where communists have to step up and do the work to educate people and steer them in the right direction. Things could absolutely go in into a dark place in the west, but ultimately all we can do is try our best to make sure they don’t and we have to keep at least some optimism that better things are possible.
I think the key factor will be the loss of faith in the system. At that point people start having the whole “are we the baddies” moment of self awareness. There will be a lot of turbulence politically, but that’s where communists have to step up and do the work to educate people and steer them in the right direction. Things could absolutely go in into a dark place in the west, but ultimately all we can do is try our best to make sure they don’t and we have to keep at least some optimism that better things are possible.