A look at how economic globalization has left its mark on former industrial cities and struggling small towns across America by photographer Matthew Ludak. Ludak received his BA from Drew University and MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His practice explores contemporary social issues, including classism, de-industrialization, environmentalism, and structural racism in the United States. He currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he continues to explore the intersections of art and social justice through his photography and non profit work.
While many economists believe it will return to stronger growth in 2026, hopes of a quick recovery are fading amid doubts over Berlin's planned investment spree under Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Before Christmas, Germany's Bundesbank lowered its growth forecast for 2026 to 0.6%, down from its previous June forecast of 0.7%. However, the central bank raised the forecast for 2027 to 1.3%, predicting that the pace of economic activity would pick up from the second quarter of 2026.
A few months ago, I went to a birthday party at a bar in Neepsend, an old industrial neighbourhood by the River Don in Sheffield. The bar had been a steelworks once, but now it was another example of the international style you find everywhere, from Portland, Oregon, to all the other Portlands in Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand: exposed brick, steel beams, concrete floors, Edison bulbs. The steelworkers had been transformed into accountants and brand managers, the molten pig iron into £9 cocktails.