1: SUMMARY  London in its European context  The London Metropolitan region  Population and urban growth  London’s growth: post war policy  Governance and boundaries  Poverty and disadvantage  Planning London: new answers to growth  Planning the Metropolitan Region  Conclusion 2: ENGLISH AMBIVALENCE TOWARDS LONDON  When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford (Dr Johnson, Lexicographer, 1777)  But what is to be the fate of the great wen of all? That monster, called the ‘metropolis of the empire’ (William Cobbett, radical writer, 1821) (wen = loupe, kyste) 3: LONDON IN ITS EUROPEAN CONTEXT I 4: LONDON IN ITS EUROPEAN CONTEXT II DATAR identify Paris and London as Europe’s two “metropoles majeures”:  Size – 12 and 13 million inhabitants  Affluence  Accessibility  Advanced services  HQ of multinational companies  Culture  tourism 5: THE LONDON METROPOLITAN REGION I 6: THE LONDON METROPOLITAN REGION II This is where 13 million people live – But it does not correspond with any administrative unit or tier of government 7: THE POPULATION OF GREATER LONDON I Population grew steadily through the 19th and early 20th centuries: 1801 1,011,157 1821 1,450,122 1841 1,917,013 1861 3,094,391 1881 4,709,960 1901 6,226,494 1921 7,553,526 1931 8,098,942 8: THE POPULATION OF GREATER LONDON II Then fell to 1980s: 1941 7,987,936 1961 7,781,342 1981 6,608,513 And then rapid growth resumed: 1991 6,887,280 2001 7,172,036 2011 8,174,000 9: THE POPULATION OF GREATER LONDON III Most recent projections: Population: 2011 Census: 8.17m 2016: 8.5m 2021: 8.8m 2026: 9m 2031: 9.1m/10m ONS Employment 2031: 4.7m 10: IMPLICATIONS OF LONDON’S GROWTH By 2031 there could be: 1.2 million more Londoners (to 8.82m) 0.8 million more households 0.7 million more jobs 4 million more trips per day (2023) And need for 34,900 more homes 1,3-2.2 m sq ft of office space in central London alone 1.3 – 2.2 m sq ft of comparison retail space 40,000 more hotel bedrooms 11: LONDON’S GROWTH – LAST TIME I 12: LONDON’S GROWTH – LAST TIME II In the 20th century London grew by spreading outwards: “Urban sprawl”: 13: LONDON’S GROWTH – LAST TIME III 14: LONDON’S GROWTH: POST WAR POLICY I From the 1930s London’s growth was regarded as a major problem.  In the 1930s 83% of all new factory building in UK in Greater London area  “Ribbon development” along major roads  After Second World War, factory building in London banned; firms steered to North, Scotland, Wales  From 1964 until 1970s, office development in London banned  Aim of moving jobs out of London  Ring of London New Towns built – intended to be “self contained communities for work and living  London and national planning policies aimed at reducing London’s population The policy question was not “How do you support London’s growth? But “how do you stop it ? 15: LONDON’S GROWTH: POST WAR POLICY II The Green Belt 16: LONDON’S GROWTH: POST WAR POLICY III Purpose of Green Belt:  To protect the countryside around towns from urban sprawl  To encourage regeneration of neglected sites within towns and cities  To prevent towns from merging into each other Location of industry policy, office development permits, and New Towns long gone – but Green Belt remains 17: GOVERNANCE I Timeline: Before 1854 City Corporation, parishes and vestries 1854-1889 Metropolitan Board of Works + parishes and vestries 1889-1964 London County Council + 28 Metropolitan Boroughs from 1901 1964-1986 Greater London Council +32 London Boroughs 1986-2000 No London-wide authority – just the 32 Boroughs 2000 – present Mayor of London + London Assembly + the 32 Boroughs 18: GOVERNANCE II London Boundaries 19: LONDON BOUNDARIES II 1854: Board of Works boundaries based on 1840s mortality statistics 1889: London County Council boundaries - same as Board of Works 1964: Greater London Council “an entity so closely knit, so interdependent, so deeply influenced by the central area and so largely built up, that it truly makes up the London of today.” (Herbert Commission) 2000: Mayor and Assembly – same boundaries as GLC 20: GOVERNANCE: TIERS Mayor of London: Elected by whole London electorate Oversees police, fire and Transport for London Directly responsible for strategic planning London Assembly;  25 members, elected by proportional representation  Scrutinizes Mayor  Approves Mayoral budget London Boroughs  Responsible for local planning  Responsible for education, personal social services  Also responsible for parks, refuse collection, street cleaning 21: POVERTY AND DISADVANTAGE I London a city of rich and poor  Some of richest neighbourhoods in Britain  Alongside poor areas  Areas of high unemployment, low skills, poor housing, low educational attainment 22: POVERTY AND DISADVANTAGE II 23:PLANNING: NEW ANSWERS TO GROWTH I The gradual reversal of planned dispersal:  1977 Inner Cities White Paper - recognized poverty and disadvantage of inner areas - end of New and Expanded Towns programmes  Late 1970s/early 1980s - end of government controls on factory and office building in London - removal of ban on advertising London as business location  1983 – end of long period of population decline, start of growth (though not recognized at the time…) 24: THE OLD: THE CITY 25:PLANNING: NEW ANSWERS TO GROWTH II The transformation of the finance sector “La ‘City’, un ilot de prospérité dans un océan d’austérité’ (Nice Matin, 3 novembre 1982)  1979 – abolition of exchange controls  1986 – ‘Big Bang’ – deregulation of the City  Internationalisation/globalisation of the banking sector  ‘a club no more’ 26: THE NEW : CANARY WHARF 27: THE NEW: THE SHARD 28: PLANNING: NEW ANSWERS TO GROWTH III The evolution of London planning  1943 – County of London Plan - visionary scheme for post war reconstruction - much new social housing, but little capacity for infrastructure  1964 – GLC launches Greater London Development Plan - takes 10 years to get an approved plan  1986 – abolition of GLC - no new planning system  1992 – “London: World City” report, benchmarks London against global competitors  For 14 years London is the only region without a strategic planning framework 29: PLANNING: NEW ANSWERS TO GROWTH IV  2000 – restoration of London government; election of first London Mayor  2002 – first London Plan: aims to accommodate London’s growth within the Greater London boundaries Vision: “to develop London as an exemplary, sustainable world city, based on three interwoven themes: - strong, diverse long term economic growth - social inclusivity to give all Londoners the opportunity to share in London’s future success - fundamental improvements in London’s environment and use of resources” 30: PLANNING: NEW ANSWERS TO GROWTH V  2008 – change of Mayor - pro growth orientation remains  2011 – revised London Plan: “the only prudent course is to plan for continued growth” BUT:  No effective planning structures for the London Metropolitan region – except “duty to cooperate” between local authorities  Abolition of regional spatial strategies For East and South East  No national spatial plan  Old consensus about dispersal of people and jobs from London shared by local and national government – now the decision is for London 31: THE LONDON PLAN