London 2050 Plan

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  • Perhaps the next generation of politician (which BenMyring may be) will finally realise that the country is unaffordable for the average person, and take radical action in the future.  <br><br>Seeing politicians profit from property (much of which we paid for), it's hard to imagine any of the current generation (of every party) giving too much of a flying fuck about it.  <br><br><br><br> <br>
  • Lewisham always used to be cheap (again in London context) and I prefer it to Catford.<div><br></div><div>The problem I have with the plans - and this isn't just London, or even the UK, but the entire world - is how to balance the needs of a growing population with the needs of the environment. There seems to be this belief that nature is a luxury, something we can do without in these economically straightened times and something to be sacrificed for the sake of growth. But it isn't. It provides the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the fuel we burn for energy. These resources are being used up and as the world population grows they're being used up faster and faster. We need to find a way to protect those resources and keep them providing all those things we need to survive. Just building more stuff isn't the answer, and I certainly don't have the answer! </div><div><br></div><div>Sutent's point about the change in working lives is interesting. I could easily do much of my job from home, and I suspect it's the same for many people who travel in to work every day. The technology is already there. The main stumbling point, as far as I can see, is managers and business owners who are scared to relinquish control. They seem to think that working from home equals skiving, despite the fact that study after study has shown that more flexible working conditions leads to a happier and harder-working workforce. I think this is an attitude that's going to have to change. If many of us were only travelling in to work two or three days a week the pressure on transport systems would be hugely reduced. </div>
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  • Just been in Frankfurt visiting my uncle. Rent prices are much cheaper than London. I know this has been discussed before. 400-600 euro per month which i think is great value. Shame we cant do the same at home
  • <font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">@ Sutent.  Sadly in London we're afraid to control and have ordnung.</font><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2013/11/has-germany-figured-out-way-keep-rents-affordable/7639</font><span style="font-size: small;">/</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: small;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: small;">http://londonist.com/2014/01/how-rent-controls-work-in-other-countries.php</span></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><br></font></div>
  • I'd rather live in Catford than Frankfurt.<br>
  • @idorou. I went to a great meeting last week to discuss how we are going to remember the 1000s that died in ranaplaza Bangladesh after the building collapsed on them. Anniversary is 24th April. Sadly lots of multinational fashion companies havent signed up to agreements to ensure this doesn't happen again. I was talking to an NGO and environmentalist about how severely the environment is destroyed in manufacturing clothes. I was staggered. I am going to read a book about it soon so will let you know
  • interesting about rent controls, occasionally around here you can see a house up for auction which is cheap because there is a registered rent tenant there. that means they signed a lease in the 70s I think, and normally the rent is around £85 a week which is about £5000 a year. the tenant has strong legal protections<div><br></div><div>from the landlord's perspective, they can't raise the rent or kick the tenant out.  normally these houses are pretty dilapidated, and presumably under occupied. </div>
  • @dion - rent regulations don't have to be like that. R<span style="font-size: 10pt;">egulated increases in rent can be built in that balances the needs of the landlord and the tenant. </span><div><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It's very odd in London in that it seems to be all or nothing when it comes to yearly rent increases. I went two years without a rent increase and then you hear cases of people being jack up 10 to 20 per cent in a short time frame. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br></span></div><div>I lived in several houses so far that were in various states of dilapidation inside and out - all non rent-controlled - so I don't think you can make any assumptions.</div>
  • I once lived in a flat that was practically falling apart. The only heating was three gas fires - one each in the kitchen, living room and one bedroom; the one in the kitchen didn't work. The floorboards had shrunk away from the walls, leaving big gaps; there were squirrels living in the loft; the kitchen appliances were ancient; the water was heated using an immersion heater that was meant to have a timer but that didn't work, so you had to remember to turn it on to get hot water; if it was on for too long it would heat up the cold water too and you'd just have two taps spewing out boiling hot water. It was owned by a private company, certainly wasn't rent controlled. We only took it because we were about to be homeless. <div><br></div><div>@Sutent I honestly think an awful lot of fashion companies are utterly immoral. The conditions that workers in some countries endure are disgusting. And a lot of the companies lie about what's going on so it's hard to even find ethical ones to buy from. This is part of the reason I buy a lot of my clothes second hand - the cash doesn't go to the manufacturer. Also, by reusing what someone no longer wants I'm helping the environment. It's astonishing what some people give away. Clothes that can only have been worn once or twice. </div>
  • I would gladly pay for several SG types to go to Catford. Chang
  • For anyone that's interested, this is the piece of work I was referring to previously about the 'future of London'.<br><br>Our rough estimate of the cost of the required transport (capital and operating) is £1 trillion up to 2050.<br>
  • I'm quite disappointed it doesn't address cycling at all. Surely that would be one way to reduce the pressure on the transport system, reduce pollution and save money.
  • It may not say it explicitly in the progress report but it assumes cycle investment will grow well above the current record levels of investment.
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