London’s Youth Declare It the Most Vibrant City it comes to attracting young people, few cities have more traction than London. The young, who are the future of our economies and societies, tend to flock to urban areas for their dynamism, anonymity and proximity. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has a chance to cement this reputation for his city by removing planning and other barriers to homebuilding and reforming a police force that has lost public confidence because of high-profile crimes against women and poor record on petty crime.
A new generation of young Londoners is also reimagining the city’s landscape. They are planting a thousand trees, including a forest of spruce and ash and creating a network of paths and bike lanes. They are growing vegetables and fruits in gardens and public spaces. They are covering concrete and brick walls with ivy and cutting small holes in fences to let hedgehogs roam freely. They are sharing stories about the hidden gems of nature they have found in their urban jungle.
London’s Youth Declare It the Most Vibrant City
Urban space, along with alternative media, has always played a crucial role in the shaping of youth culture. The 1970s and 1980s boom in London creativity owed much to squat and dole culture, which left vast swathes of the city’s housing stock empty. The opportunity to claim benefit and work without the constraints of a full-time job created space for musicians, style journalists and fashion designers to occupy battered Edwardian residences as they pursued their creative ambitions.
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