Bloomberg CityLab

Right-leaning governments across the world - most famously the Trump administration - are increasingly advocating a"traditional" architectural style as the only proper one for official buildings. If you're curious about what that might look like, the current transformation of Hungary's Buda Castle might provide a guide - and cautionary tale. As Robert Bevan notes in this piece for Bloomberg CityLab, the castle complex is being given an overhaul, with 12 partially or totally reconstructed buildings, ostensibly so that the complex resembles itself before WWII destruction and communist era demolition. What Budapest is getting, however, is a set of concrete hulks covered with dubiously pastiche facades, their silhouettes now steroidally-enhanced to look grander and beefier, plus a land grab that sees the castle hill becoming an increasingly private political complex. All this is happening, the piece notes, while Budapest's actual surviving historic architecture is in increasingly poor repair - and is piloted by a government that has systematically undercut historic protections to the benefit of developers. https://lnkd.in/gAcye_Gn

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The controversy over Budapest's historic site rebuild.

Some stories stay with you long after you file them. Oshawa is one of those. Reporting there was one of the most sobering assignments I’ve had this year. The place that once proudly called itself Canada’s motor city is now bracing for another economic shock. I’m deeply grateful to everyone in Oshawa who opened their doors and their lives to me to tell this story. Unemployment has surged past 9% as General Motors announced it will cut output at its only Canadian plant making pickup trucks. The impact reaches far beyond the factory floor: I met people quietly stretching money and time over a single coffee at a local diner, lining up early at the food bank with strollers to collect pasta and bread, and wondering how to hold on as hours are cut and bills keep coming. What struck me most is how quickly fortunes turned. This same plant was shuttered in 2019, then unexpectedly reopened during the pandemic as vehicle demand surged. Now, with new US auto tariffs, production is being scaled back again, and workers who bet their futures on GM are left in limbo. I spoke with experts, union leaders, city officials, and residents about what this means for Oshawa and for Canada’s place in the North American auto supply chain. But this isn’t just an Oshawa story. It is the story of many communities grappling with what happens when global trade and supply chains are suddenly reshaped. What do you think cities and industries need most to adapt when economic tides turn and long-standing industries face sudden disruption? You can read the full Bloomberg News report here: https://lnkd.in/gjrTn3Vq

Hungary’s Orban government says it is restoring Buda Castle to its historic form. Critics say the new buildings are inauthentic and part of a land grab.

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