SDG & Group Selection
During class, we had a workshop to select what two SDG’s we felt were most important, in our own eyes, based in Madrid. The two SDG’s I chose were #10 - Reduced Inequalities & #11 - Sustainable Cities & Communities.
Why did I choose these two in specific?
I chose #10 because we in live in an era where the rich are getting richer while the poorer are getting poorer. And in the case of Madrid, and in Spain general, annual salaries are significantly lower compared to other major cities and countries across the EU. Even in Madrid, the wealth disparity is very apparent with housing in the city centre costing more than the suburbs, especially in areas such as Salamanca.
I chose #11 because Madrid is a desirable city to be in Spain and in the EU in general. As a result of Spain’s salaries being lower compared to other EU countries, as a result prices are lower. Therefore lower prices, compared to prices in major cities Germany, Italy, & the UK make Madrid a desirable city for expats due to their foreign currencies going further. Additionally, due to Spain’s colonialist past, Spain is an attractive destination to move for citizens of previously colonized Spanish countries due to both language and easier access to a Spanish passport & citizenship. Additionally, universities such as IE bring is many individuals from foreign countries to the city, therefore bringing foreigners into the city for typically a few years. And finally, due to Madrid being the capital of Spain, there are more opportunities in Madrid, as well as other major cities across Spain, therefore bringing in talent from smaller towns across the country. Due to all these factors, there has been unsustainable growth in the city which has put severe strain on the housing market.
Group Formation
My group is formed of Selene, Sofia Arenas, and Joseph. We were all peers with different primary roles that we had chosen during the group formation workshop while also having similar beliefs on which SDG’s were important to us.