Spolia
99% Invisible

Spolia

B2Upper-intermediateAugust 25, 202628 min

Spolia, from a Liverpool neighborhood to ancient Rome. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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In South Liverpool, there's a neighbourhood called Granby. It used to be one of the most

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B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 24%A2 40%B1 23%B2 13%C1 0%
  • 87% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 152 words a minute: a natural pace.
  • 165 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

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0:00

This is 99% Invisible. I'm Roman Mars. In South Liverpool, there's a neighbourhood called Granby. It used to be one of the most vibrant and diverse neighbourhoods in the UK. It had a busy main street lined with shops and cafes.

0:17

But by 2012, when an architect named Lewis Jones first visited, most of the houses were unoccupied. So, you know, a couple of hundred houses, but only about 10 or 12 people still living there, the rest of the house is all empty.

0:33

Granby had suffered through decades of unemployment, aggressive policing, and failed redevelopment schemes. And over time, the neighborhood had hollowed out. That's 99-PI senior editor Delaney Hall.

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