From Editors

The current issue of "Purpose" is devoted to the confrontation between Łódź and New York. The idea came up after my journey to the United States and my observations from the "Big Apple".

There are many similarities that I noticed between those two cities, but I am also aware of the obvious differences. What I mean is there are parallels between Manhattan and the city center of Łódź. The first thing that you notice is the layout of the streets, based on a regular grid, with a huge importance of the Fifth Avenue, and in Łódź - Piotrkowska Street.  
Manhattan, just like the downtown of Łódź, is linear; it does not have one particular center with the most important buildings in one place. And then there is the similar urban architecture. In both cities there are buildings mainly from the nineteenth and twentieth century, therefore, we can find there some old apartment buildings mixed with some new, modern ones.

The similarity lies not only in the unique character of the buildings, but what’s interesting the condition of the buildings is also similar. Despite the vast differences in wealth, in both cities we find the examples of lovingly restored and lavishly decorated buildings next to the old warehouses that nobody have ever renovated.  Plus, there is this constant feeling that both cities are continuously being repaired and repaved. In Łódź, of course, it looks much worse, but in New York in many places we find the dug-up roads or buildings covered by obscure fences and commercials.

Another common feature is the spatial and visual chaos caused by advertisements and signs.
In both cities, it looks as if no one could control it and everything would depend on the free market operating companies. Perhaps this is due to the economic liberalism, which in New York has a programmatic profile, and in Łódź it is the result of the emerging system.

We should also mention the similar history of both cities that have been shaped thanks to the influx of capital and labor from all around the world. Of course, Łódź cannot be compared with the multicultural New York, where while using the subway more often do you hear the national minority languages ​​than English. A sense of multicultural sources of wealth in Łódź still strongly shapes the identity of many citizens of our city.

I would like to mention that New York has used culture as a development strategy for a long time now, while such a policy in our city is just taking shape. So maybe it is worth looking at them and takes a leaf out of New York's book.

All photos of New York taken by Artur Zaguła.
Cover illustration: Thomas Kaczkowski
Translation: Dominika Gordon