Elif Eralp and Zohran Mamdani have won the elections in two global cities, with indisputable historical and global reach, and with an agenda for intervention in the housing market. In the case of Berlin, everyone is talking about the expropriations that Eralp wants to carry out, which are the result of a deliberate process backed by a referendum. The citizens of Berlin were asked if they would approve the expropriation of the property of the 12 large landlords with more than 3,000 apartments in the city, with a potential impact on 243,000 rental apartments out of 1.5 million apartments in the city. The detractors of the measure argue that the expropriations will create legal uncertainty and that a harmful message is being sent to investors. They do not speak of the residents who live there, of the economic need to provide stability to city workers so that there is dynamism, and of the duty of the property to carry out proper maintenance of all these apartments. In a 2018 presentation by the Housing Agency of Catalonia, the case of a portfolio of 16,000 apartments that BBVA had sold to the investment fund Cerberus was analyzed: the portfolio consisted of 4,995 empty apartments, 2,351 occupied, 4,000 rented, 1,306 ceded, and about 3,306 without possession. These are mostly apartments accumulated through mortgage foreclosures (families who could not meet their mortgage payments). The concentration of property is a very recent phenomenon in cities, and it is a very important morphological change, because the development structure we have in mind (what we learned at architecture school) is no longer in style: there are no longer small commercial companies building simultaneously next to each other, with ten-year real estate cycles, like at the genesis of the Eixample. It has reached a point where the properties of a single holder are spread across different cities and countries and portfolios of thousands of apartments are traded in transactions where often the condition of the apartment and the building is deplorable. But they don't even visit them. Also in Madrid, as I read in Infobae, the data from the AVS deposits indicate that there is a concentration of property in the hands of a few operators: more than 80% of rental apartments are in the hands of some funds and companies that own 5 or more apartments.

The triumph, for the first time, of the post-communists on this Sunday's election night in the city-state of Berlin, has a name: Elif Eralp, the candidate for Die Linke, who has come to lead the institutional progressive political space in the German capital. For the first time since reunification, this party has obtained more support than the Social Democrats, who remain last in the distribution of seats. Die Linke has also surpassed the Greens. This triumph contrasts with the global rise of the far right.

Still in shock from the far-right victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt two weeks ago, Germany is taking the temperature of the ultra-wave this Sunday in the elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and also in Berlin. The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is looking to leverage the momentum of the victory in Saxony-Anhalt to try and repeat it in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the second eastern state to head to the polls. And it could succeed, although far from an absolute majority and with few options to govern. Polls give the AfD 37% of the votes, followed very closely by the Social Democrats, currently in government, with 35%.

The German police have shot dead the suspect in a fatal hit-and-run at a Pride event in Berlin on Saturday night that left at least one person dead and twenty-nine injured – some seriously. The Interior Ministry is treating the incident as a terrorist attack and the police had made a large deployment to find the driver, whom they accuse of having links to Islamist circles. "Everything we see here indicates that we are dealing with an Islamist attack," said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who has pledged to bring those responsible to justice.

Colonial SFL, until now focused on the office markets of Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris, has overcome one of its pending tasks: setting foot in Berlin. For some time now, the top executives of the Catalan real estate company, Juan José Brugera (president) and Pere Viñolas (CEO) had expressed interest to bring its business model to the German capital.

Berlin is a city that the more you visit it, the more it enchants you. It is diverse and open-minded. Full of nooks and crannies where it reveals its character, making it a kind of bubble in the middle of Germany. That is why it has been the chosen place for people who came from much more conservative regions to build a home there. This is explained to me by the cook René Frank, chef of the renowned restaurant Coda. A restaurant "that could only be in Berlin". Thanks to his knowledge of the city and that of the people who are part of the Coda team, we are about to visit places to subsequently make a list of the most recommendable ones. From cafes, cocktail bars, pastry shops, and, of course, where to eat a good René Frank, chef of the renowned restaurant Coda. A restaurant "that could only be in Berlin". Thanks to his knowledge of the city and that of the people who are part of the Coda team, we are about to visit places to subsequently make a list of the most recommendable ones. From cafes, cocktail bars, pastry shops, and, of course, where to eat a good currywurst or a kebab, two of the most representative and popular dishes.

One of the most beautiful moments of summer is when you select the books that will travel with you, packing them in your suitcase. One thick one or a few small ones? Your vacation destination can influence the movies you watch or the songs you put on your playlist. If you're one of those who want to see the world while on vacation, this summer we'll suggest readings, music, or films that might help you better understand your trip's final destination.