Much to the delight of the disciples of darkness, the city center of the city of light was quite dark. And as if that was not enough, there were suspicious types riding their bikes concentrically. Upon getting closer, I believe I heard ‘’Fiets, Fiets?”. Their intention, of course, was to sell bikes cheap and illegally.

Humans have blind spots. So do the authorities at times. Do Eindhoven authorities turn a blind eye to the city center? Have you ever wondered why there are so many closed stores in the center? Ten percent are closed permanently. People say it’s because of the rents. Rocket Science is a thing. But is there something like Rocket Economics? Rocket Economics might argue that a larger number of open stores paying less rent will generate a similar revenue, if not higher. More households will benefit. The law of poverty states the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, but that won’t apply any more or less than it does now. But unfortunately, a lot of retail space in the center is haunted and empty. And Piazza is a ghost town in itself.

People say that the high parking fees in and around the city center force them to bypass the center without bothering to stop. TU/e is about to implement parking fees for all. Let’s hope that fee won’t result in a similar bypassing effect at TU/e.

Having said all that about the city center, I have a strange sense of admiration for Eindhoven. Because if you love something, you love its scars, sadness, and everything. After all, literally close to the heart of Eindhoven is our uni, TU/e.