London 2030

A series of events exploring the future growth of the capital

Report published on 2 July 2013 by Centre for Cities

During Spring 2013, Centre for Cities and Addleshaw Goddard held a series of high-level seminars to debate the priorities for managing and sustaining London’s growth. This paper is a think piece, reflecting the discussions that took place at these events.

Virtually all current policy thinking for London is based on the assumption that the city will continue to grow, but this is by no means guaranteed. Unless policy decisions are taken to address persistent housing, transport and employment issues, future economic success may be threatened by rising costs, growing congestion, and deepening inequality.

London is running out of time to plan for 2030, by which date the city will be bigger than ever before. With a population growing faster than expected, the window of opportunity to tackle three urgent challenges is shrinking. Congestion levels anticipated in the 2030s will now be with us in 10 rather than 20 years. The cost of housing continues to rise much faster than predicted, making London a less and less affordable place to live. Unemployment and inequality are a persistent, long-term blot on the Capital’s economic record, and show no signs of going away.

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Supported by Addleshaw Goddard