zlacker

I absolutely agree. It's ironic that we move to the places we fall in love with, only to modify them to our own needs. But this is the history of cities. It should always be up to local communities to accept or reject us. In a way, you can measure the strength of local culture by how it assimilates outsiders. Conversely, you can probably gauge the strength of an outside culture by how resistant it is to local assimilation. Of course, purchasing power speaks many languages.

>>wrongc+(OP)
It's a bit like tourism. You travel to see the places which get destroyed by you being there...

>>zorked+y3
And if we take the tourism bit a bit further, the tourist's search for the authentic ends up with companies ready and willing to offer a back door into local culture, creating an impression of authenticity for a tourist audience (often called "staged authenticity" in tourism studies).

This could be compared a bit to gentrification, in which I am reminded of Gertrude Stein's phrase "there is no there there" as well as, albiet more distantly, Marc Auge's concept of nonplaces.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Stein#.22There_is_no_...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_place

>>wrongc+(OP)
With regards specifically to Berlin: those people unwilling to learn and speak German should leave.