In an echo of the urban inversion confronting many of America's cities, London's phenomenal economic growth over the past decade has come at the expense of the city's suburbs, where unemployment and poverty are growing. Could this be a good thing?
"Across London’s suburban fringe and in some of the commuter towns ringing the capital, job growth has stagnated in the past decade as it has roared ahead in inner London (see chart)," writes The Economist. "In places like Croydon and Romford, an east London suburb, office blocks are being demolished or converted to housing. In inner-city Canary Wharf, meanwhile, the number of jobs has quadrupled since 2001. London’s economic growth is concentrated in the middle: it tends to spill only as far as central spots like Shoreditch and King’s Cross. The trend may eventually turn the capital’s social structure inside out."
As businesses and young professionals are drawn to the city, the suburbs are confronting increases in crime and commute times.
"[T]he flow of jobs to the middle of London, and poor people to the suburbs, looks likely to continue," adds The Economist. "Perhaps that is no bad thing. Concentrated poverty created many of the inner city’s problems in the first place. Even if London’s poor become a little more spread out, the city as a whole could still end up richer."
FULL STORY: Trouble in Metroland

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions