Living

  • Long Report: Life is shaping up, not moving on

    The pace of life is picking up across many broad sectors, showing that investment is working. As a result of this, life is shaping up into many different forms, and in-between these, the familiar cultural attributes of the UK are regaining their position. This is good news for all of us.

    While this is in line with some of our expectations, it changes the outlook of those involved in the early planning stages of a resurgence in development here. They thought most people would have moved on into new types of developments where new facilities provide their ‘old’ services.

    It didn’t happen, and so a different form of evolution has taken place. This is a changeover of responsibilities to those who form a new class of decision-maker, as well as a refreshed type of care and oversight in society. The belief is that things can stay the same, so the purpose is to adapt in stasis here. It’s what many have come to believe is our core strength.

    Smaller plans

    The centre of this sort of thinking is the local church. I’ve met many secular planners who don’t have a religious faith – but they’ve got one in community. The church is the liveliest example of this, so they’ve said to me. Much of their practical insight has come from being in these places, seeing things happen that produce results, and taking lessons from it.

    It’s small-scale living, an activity that involves interaction with others, which is a difficult field to explore, but the UK offers plenty of opportunities for it. There are stories of huge changes taking place in many people’s lifestyles as a result of concentrating on these such small places. The hyped up “future factor” of past planning meetings has given way to a simpler, sweeter form and version of seeing things as they should be.

    Open communities

    It’s a hybrid of progressive living and planning, and it’s proving to suit most tastes. The public at large are understanding things more, and believe their lives are better for it. Even democracy is broadening out, although it has a long way to go yet. The feelings are that life has to snap back together for it to derive benefit out of this groundswell of renewed resolve.

    The public services that define so much of the modern character of the UK are keeping up pace, and their challenge is laid out in more practical terms, too. The involvement of the right helps and supports will make that endeavour more worthwhile in the long-term. It will offer an enlightened set of results in time to come, showing – or proving – that we’re on a mission to prosper the best of our collective endeavours here.

  • London needs a deep rethink

    The state of affairs in London is a mixed offering if you’re looking at it in the broadest perspective. It struggles to sound out above the noise because it’s set upon by nostalgia-driven fanatics or the fantasies of the newest trend held by modernisers. It depends on who’s asking, or who’s around.

    The core of it is a problem set deep into its current fortunes. The multiplex layout of its office scene is a network of diverse activity. Yet, it doesn’t always fit together, and some is more important than an occupant next door. This sets the stage for a showdown about its ultimate purpose. How can people find each other like this?

    The parting of the crowds just to see one another – such as a new business partner, friend, or even romantic interest – has been a problem for Londoners for some time. It’s a concern that similar or complimentary activities don’t line up well enough. It’s not a gap bridged by social media or fixed by the mainstream press.

  • Life adds to itself over time

    The value of a city is relative to its people at any given moment. The past isn’t as pleasurable or intense as the present. This is what we know because of the current times and what it can offer and what it can take away. Our own fecklessness or dodging of reality can lead to a diminished return for everyone else.

    A workman renewing a public sign on the side of a building in central London.

    The lifestyle – or lived experience – in any walk of life is the sum total of what happens around us. This is what makes us feel optimistic or pessimistic about our lives. The potential or the decline of opportunity defines us. The increase or decrease of our own portion of it enables or disables us.