Does a good life have to mean perfection?
A conversation with Vincenzo Latronico about gentrification on the London Berlin Democracy podcast
Stay tuned for the new episode!
Our podcast hosts, filmmaker Sabine Pusch and Public Policy Advisor Dr. Robert Keeling, speak with Italian author Vincenzo Latronico about his highly acclaimed novel Perfection, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025.
The novel traces the seemingly perfect life of a foreign couple in gentrified Berlin – and serves as a starting point for a discussion about urban change processes in two metropolises.
Together, we discuss how Berlin has changed since Covid and in what ways the controversial topic of gentrification is being negotiated there: While the city continues to live off its reputation as an open, resistant cultural metropolis, many neighborhoods are increasingly under pressure. Creative spaces are disappearing faster than new ones are being created, and the gap between political aspiration and urban reality is becoming more noticeable.
A look at London shows parallel but differently timed developments: Gentrification often started earlier and harder there – with long-term consequences such as deeper social divides, radically transformed neighborhoods and an everyday life that is increasingly shaped by the global real estate market.
We ask: Which patterns are similar, which developments differ – and what do they reveal about the future of urban democracy?
The podcast will be released tomorrow morning on all major platforms!
