“How do you flesh out an editorial pipeline about the topic of urban mobility in one of the richest and democratic countries, like Switzerland?” we asked ourselves during a February weekend session at Impact Hub Zürich, a social startup co-working space.
ST. GALLEN, Switzerland – Missing the train at 6:45 in the morning does not start the day well.
Steven Tyler, Aerosmith’s infamous vocalist, once noted in a flash of rock wisdom, “We believed that anything worth doing was worth overdoing.” Indeed, the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle, with its enthralling appeal, embodies elements of excess and waste.
On Feb. 9 the Swiss are to vote on a constitutional amendment that would impose strict quotas on immigration from European Union countries.
“I think … they are somewhere there,” says the police officer, pointing in the opposite direction from the strictly fenced Congress Center in Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting is being held.
“Of course I’m afraid!” she bursts out in a heavy French accent when asked about the risk of a terror attack. “You never know what could happen!”
Almira is one of many millions of immigrants who every year cross borders in search of a better life.
Around 40 Ukrainians, most of whom were expats, gathered from all over Europe in Davos to demand that global leaders do not support their government’s suppressive powers.
In Davos, there’s a fleet of World Economic Forum shuttles to whisk people between the Congress Center, hotels, parties, side events, and meetings, just to name a few destinations. This gives us a window into their day and also lets us strike up interesting conversations. On the Line 1, we meet Sangeeth Varghese, an Indian leadership thinker as well as a founding curator of the Global Shapers of the World Economic Forum. “I work in the strategic consulting industry in India. I also founded a nonprofit organization for student empowerment—it is called LeadCap Trust,” Varghese says.
During the World Economic Forum, advertisements aren’t the only things that transform the city of Davos. With more than 3,000 soldiers from the Swiss Army and Police, the city turns into a heavily guarded fortress. And if this was not enough, helicopters and fighter jets will be controlling the Airspace.
When it comes to the World Economic Forum and Davos, everyone already knows about the 2,500+ leaders and thinkers from around the world who invade the small ski resort city. But the city already receives another kind of visit a couple of days earlier, when hundreds of posters and ads are installed on buildings, buses, and windows around the city. Here is a selection of what we saw on just the day before the official events start:
Science writer Julian Taub has been freelancing for close to three years now. He has written for prominent publications, believes he has a strong network and understands what it takes to land work. Yet writing for the Web on a contingent basis hasn’t been easy. As Taub points out, he “would be afraid to do it as [his] sole source of income. Just because it’s very precarious: You don’t know what’s going to come up, there’s not many guarantees, and it’s really tough to be one step ahead” on a beat.