This forum has amazed me

[LondonMix]

Going to the West Village you can't imagine that in the 90s prostitutes used to work out in the open and people did drugs like mad. I'm not saying either of those things are good but its just remarkable how quickly its completely shed all of the crime, drugs and sex.

[Willard]

Early Christmas present for Louisa:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/man-realises-he-is-gentrification-20151203104414

[Louisa]

Willard, Stephen and Daisy Malley exemplify for me the whole outcome of this process. Artisan coffee guzzling artistic socialist vegetarians who move to London's poorest neighbourhoods to try and fit in with the existing working class culture, but in turn end up destroying the neighbourhood by forcing existing businesses out and organic avocado shops in. It's nice to see that young Stephen has become aware of this fact, and now maybe his cleaner can have a live in role (maybe the garden shed is available?) rather than traipsing daily up on a slow train from Gravesend.

Louisa.

[BrandNewGuy]

LondonMix Wrote:

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> Global cities like London, San Francisco, New York

> feel like they are at the very beginning of a slow

> but terminal decline.

That's what lots of people were saying in the late 70s and through to the mid 80s. There was massive flight from these cities and what was left was often (rightly or wrongly) perceived as undesirable. And that was working class and middle class flight. But the doomsters were wrong, these cities changed in ways no-one had foreseen and I suspect that will happen again.

[LondonMix]

Yes, you are totally right. This is different as its the reverse but I know what you mean. Cities constantly change and evolve. I suppose what I'm saying is that the features of these cities as we know them and what I like about them (hubs of artistic creativity, social diversity, etc) will become less salient as other features replace them. I don't think they'll disappear, just transform into something less appealing.

BrandNewGuy Wrote:

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> LondonMix Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Global cities like London, San Francisco, New

> York

> > feel like they are at the very beginning of a

> slow

> > but terminal decline.

>

> That's what lots of people were saying in the late

> 70s and through to the mid 80s. There was massive

> flight from these cities and what was left was

> often (rightly or wrongly) perceived as

> undesirable. And that was working class and middle

> class flight. But the doomsters were wrong, these

> cities changed in ways no-one had foreseen and I

> suspect that will happen again.

[Jeremy]

LA? Eurgh...

[Louisa]

You know what I find even more sad? 30/40 years ago this country had a real sense of civic pride both North and South. Following the needless destruction of major industries, and a London centric attitude from government, once great cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and I could go on were totally decimated in favour of London. Where are we now? Our chancellor talks of a northern powerhouse? Would this be the north that was neglect if for over a quarter of a century and now finds itself lagging seriously behind the South East? Ask any tourist when they are visiting the UK, will they visit any of these cities? No of course they won't, they all head straight for London. And London has now started eating itself. There is something wrong with a country where they can't given dilapidated Victorian terraces away in Liverpool and something similar in a relatively poor district of our capital is selling for over a million quid. And people wonder why I get so angry? It's no all about London, no other country in the world is so reliable upon one city (unless it's a city state of course). We have a population in excess of 60 million people, is it any wonder people away from the south east are so damn upset with the progress we make down here whilst whole regions elsewhere are lagging so far behind.

Louisa.

[Jeremy]

Louisa Wrote:

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> no other country in the world is so reliable upon one city

I get what you're saying Louisa, but this statement is not really true (Thailand and Hungary are good counter examples, although of course they are not major economic powers)

[????]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> LA? Eurgh...

LAs a great place, I'm a big fan

[LondonMix]

I've only been for a week but I really liked it, especially East LA and downtown. Its like several small cities in one each with its own really distinct flavour. Really affordable independent theatre (in the north), great hiking, crazy beaches, a terrific arts and culture scene, great food etc. Its really ugly in parts and the traffic is beastly but I loved it.

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Jeremy Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > LA? Eurgh...

>

>

> LAs a great place, I'm a big fan

[Jeremy]

There's lots of good stuff there (arts, music, nightlife, fantastic restaurants) but it's such a pain to get around. And I don't like the huge sprawling layout with no obvious centre, no green spaces, nowhere pleasant to just take a stroll.

Good weather though.

[LondonMix]

The greenest bit is in Los Feliz (near Silverlake). The neighbourhood is very walkable and green and is right by Griffith Park which is amazing snd quite lush in large parts near the ground but also with great hiking trails up to the observatory. If I were ever going to live in LA, that's where I'd live for sure.

With the exception of that neighbourhood though, I completely agree with that general characterisation of LA as not nearly green and walkable enough compared to London.

[jacks09]

Louisa - suggest some solutions.....you have such strong views on things that I would be genuinely interested to hear what you would do differently.

[Louisa]

Well you see jacks09, my solution would be a seismic shift in power (further city, regional devolution so budgets are controlled outside of the capital), along with redistribution of business incentives to encourage investment in other regions with large urban conurbations. I also think we need infrastructure to be directed to these places so that we can encourage people to move away from the magnet of London, which of course would help to ease the housing crisis. Let's be clear, this is a nationwide housing crisis, this is a south east of England housing crisis.

Louisa.

[miga]

I agree with you Lou, and this is what city devolution, as championed by George Osborne and devised by many others, is meant to achieve.Manchester has done it and there are funds earmarked to help others transform.

[red devil]

That's right miga, this is a good article on Mcr's transformation...

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/nov/03/the-great-reinvention-of-manchester-its-far-more-pleasant-than-london

It's not perfect, there's still areas of severe depravation, but this highlights how a sensible Labour led council can work with business rather than seeing it as the bogey man...

[jacks09]

@Louisa - all sounds very sensible - I much prefer reading your posts that offer solutions ~(personal preference)......are you doing anything to push this cause? Involved in any movement or charities?

Please don't feel I am singling you out, more a comment on what this forum has. Lot's of people with clearly very strong and in most cases, well informed, opinions. They all count for nowt if you don't do anything about things you feel strongly about.

[spark67]

I moved here at the end of the 90's as I sold my studio flat in Brixton and it was cheaper here to buy another larger one. I remember driving into Lordship Lane for the first time thinking "Nice, but a bit dull" and carried on going out to my old haunts in Brixton and clapham rather than here.

How things change ( although I'm a bit older and greyer now...and wouldn't go into half the bars/clubs I went to in the above places back then now ):)