High-rise living will become increasingly common in London due to the large population growth, astronomical property prices and limited availability of development sites. There isn’t any real skyscraper ‘core’ due to London’s diffused development and consolidation of skyscrapers amongst transport hubs and away from the sight-lines, but the Vauxhall corridor is emerging as an interesting environment with several big projects. Development at Canary Wharf meanwhile has shifted away from office to residential. London currently has 16 towers over 150m+, but there are 29 towers (of which 12 are 200m+) which are either u/c, approved or proposed. Factoring in the aforementioned issues and it is likely that figure will rise even higher in the years ahead.
The majority of development however remains in the 10 storey region in vast projects such as Nine Elms, Stratford, King’s Cross, Greenwich Peninsula, etc… which each have thousands, tens of thousands of units.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chris08876
The tube is one of them. Overcrowding as they say. Also, a big issue in London that I hear on LBC radio station (Was LBC 97.3 until they went nationally; now its LBC) is immigration.
|
Congestion across the London transport network in the years ahead is a legitimate concern; according to the Office for National Statistics, the city’s population expanded by 104,000 (to 8.3mn) in the year to mid-2012, and is expected to expand past 9mn in just over half a decade and 10mn by 2030. The capacity gains from the extensive Tube upgrade, Crossrail and Thameslink are thus likely to be short-lived requiring additional major engineering projects to cope with future passenger flows.
To highlight the issue, previous projections for Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon stations in Central London post-Crossrail was a combined 185mn passengers each year; yet a recent Arup report detailed that when factoring in population growth and the growing demand for public transport, the actual figure was to be north of 250mn; that’s a forecast deviation (in under a decade) of an additional 200,000 passengers each day on top of the future projected volumes.
The South East and East of England regions surrounding London are also experienced strong combined population growth (119,000 in the year to mid-2012) which puts further strain on the commuter lines into London.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chris08876
They are not to fond of immigrants for some reason, especially from Eastern Europe. These immigrants are flocking into London.
|
Immigration in the UK is a bit of a paradox; the majority of people don’t have an issue with immigrants, but they do have an issue with
immigration and certain negative elements, e.g. female genital mutilation, Sharia law, arranged marriages, lack of interaction with other communities, foreign criminals, etc… There aren’t many issues with Eastern Europeans, but there are concerns over Roma migration due to their aggressive begging practices (including the uncomfortable use of children) and limited appetite to integrate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StethJeff
For a city with perhaps the greatest collection of beautiful, intricate, historic, and immediately identifiable landmarks, the ferris wheel looks like a bumper sticker on a red Ferrari. It's hideous and an embarrassment to the city.
|
Ironically I haven’t been on the London Eye, but I don’t think too many people would agree with the view that is an embarrassment. Quite the opposite; it has become yet another globally recognised London landmark that is visited by millions each year and spurred on other cities to replicate its (to various degrees of) success. It is also an engineering marvel that revolutionised the dated ferris wheel concept by cantilevering the wheel over the Thames to produce unimpeded views, whilst introducing self-motorised pods for a smoother ride. It also provides the rather spectacular backdrop to London’s New Years Eve.
• Video Link
Prev
Linear Mode
