What will london look like in 2020

He said the pandemic had shifted their priorities for a home, particularly given that the move to working remotely was likely to continue over the coming months.

PwC cited a survey from August by the London Assembly governmental body, which found 4. Before the pandemic, the U. Victoria Garratt, a year-old lettings agent, said she and her husband had talked about moving out of London over the last couple years but the pandemic had accelerated that decision.

They left Ladbroke Grove in northwest London late last year, after also buying their first house in the small village of Silsoe, Bedfordshire, in central England. Brexit brings a major decline in globalisation and international trade.

Britain becomes more self-sufficient in sectors like agriculture, pharmaceuticals, science, manufacturing and energy. With a relatively strong economy, internal migration into London particularly by younger people from the rest of the UK increases to compensate for low levels of international movement. Fewer international residents and businesses leads to a less rich cultural experiences.

Because of this, we lose the current unique eating and dining, arts, and entertainment experiences. Over time, this change leads to a more British-born, though still diverse, Lambeth and Southwark. Both areas also see their population age become more closely aligned with the rest of the UK.

Therefore, fewer working-age residents and more young and elderly people will live in these boroughs. Lambeth and Southwark see fewer new cultural innovations and social movements and are more dependent on domestic investment as fewer international companies invest in them. COVID leaves society more economically and politically cautious as London and the UK prioritise stability in the face of global-scale crises.

This response leads to a greater emphasis on quality of life and less on GDP growth. The economy sees minimal growth, with government policy designed to deliver cautious economic development and environmental sustainability.

This risk avoidance means there is a lack of investment by the business community. Lots of pandemic-mitigation measures become permanent, like less travel, remote working, and a desire for more household space.

Government at all levels prioritise access to health and wellness services, organising the economy around principles of care. More care is taken over the built environment. New and redeveloped housing is designed to promote physical and mental well-being.

Streets and public spaces redevelop to be greener, more welcoming, and more accessible. Technology delivers and optimises healthcare. This ismade easier by increased citizen surveillance as COVIDrelated digital programs are rolled out long-term. The population changes drastically as immigration and travel policies that started in the pandemic become permanent.

Government at all levels create new policies for groups of lower incomes and others in need of specific care. These policies take a different approach to quality of life, the environment and healthcare. In Lambeth and Southwark, this change means reprioritised spending on healthcare and quality-of-life like maintenance of public spaces, parks, and housing estates.

Relative deprivation in Lambeth and Southwark goes down, as the boroughs commit to early and effective health interventions.

The focus is on reducing health inequalities like gaps in life expectancy. Changes to the built environment, both in and outdoors, create more harmony between human and environmental well-being. Importantly, this includes increased access to attractive and energy-efficient housing and an increase in green space per resident. There is an emphasises on local hiring in the development of new civic projects.

This creates well-paying jobs for residents who no longer need to travel across the city to access work. However, taxes are higher and disposable incomes lower. While these scenarios are not predictions, thinking through how imagined futures could play out over the short- and medium-term provides a useful tool for programme and policy planning.

The following timelines highlight potential implications for each scenario at different timescales. This research has been carried out during one of the most extraordinary periods of contemporary world history.

More people living in central London will give it a buzz. We need a bit of leadership to help this happen. Central government needs to be persuaded not to bring back huge business rates which London has traditionally been able to pay. That would just kill off commerce and prevent innovative new uses for empty spaces.

Landlords will need to cultivate their estates — backing smaller retailers that might draw people in, not squeezing top rents from everyone. A younger central London is more likely to be one that cycles and walks. If your job now is driving a black cab around central London collecting businesspeople, find something else to do fast. On-demand transport will replace cabs very soon. The Tube will be less busy for a long time — but that will make it nicer to use, especially if a shift in office work reduces demand in the peaks.

Buses can run faster if traffic is cleared from roads. We should adapt commuter rail stations in the centre to take fleets of electric cargo trains — transferring their packages to pedal-power trikes and zero-emission vehicles for the last stage to homes and offices.

Streets will be places to walk and meet — at least when the weather is good. The air will be cleaner in Zone 1 than in the suburbs where people still use the last old petrol cars. Pedestrianising areas like Covent Garden or Soho could help — we could always permit vehicle access for early morning deliveries and ambulances.

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