Heinrich Böll Foundation, 2005-2008, Berlin (Germany)

Some years ago, I was planning a roundtable with the title “Is Zurich a small metropolis or a big city?” I told a friend from New York about the program. She laughed: “If this is really a question, I can already give you an answer!” She explained that a metropolis is characterized by a constant process of transformation while keeping its identity. One might find entire streetscapes changed virtually overnight in a metropolis like New York, London, Tokyo or Beijing, yet one will still recognize its physiognomy. Zurich, however, she said, does not fall into this category...[+]