London is not only capital of Great Britain

1.

LONDON IS NOT ONLY
CAPITAL OF GREAT
BRITAIN

2.

PLAN:
1. LONDON AS CAPITAL
2. CULTURE
3. LONDON AND THE WORLD
4. WHAT CAN CITY BENCHMARKS TELL US?

3.

BY THE 19TH CENTURY, LONDON WAS
NOT ONLY THE CAPITAL OF ENGLAND
AND THE UK, BUT ARGUABLY THE
CAPITAL OF EUROPE. AROUND 1840, IT
BECAME THE LARGEST CITY THE
WORLD HAD EVER SEEN, AT THE
CENTRE OF AN EMPIRE THAT SPANNED
THE GLOBE. ITS NUMEROUS
FUNCTIONS BOOSTED ITS PROSPERITY,
AND WHILST IT HAS RISEN AND FALLEN
IN RELATION TO ITS NATION STATE, ITS
DOMINANT POSITION IN THE UK
ECONOMY AND NATIONAL LIFE HAS
NEVER REALLY BEEN THREATENED.

4.

LIKE THE LATTER CITIES,
HOWEVER, LONDON HAS
SUFFERED AS WELL AS
BENEFITED FROM THIS STATUS.
LONDON’S VALUE TO THE
NATION HAS BEEN HUGE, BUT AS
WE HAVE SEEN, ITS SUCCESS
ALSO BRINGS CHALLENGES –
THE COST OF LIVING,
CONGESTION, POLLUTION, AND
GROWING RESENTMENT FROM
ACROSS THE REST OF THE
COUNTRY.

5.

PUBLIC SECTOR EXPENDITURE PER HEAD, BY
COUNTRY AND REGION, 2018/19

6.

CULTURE
THE CONCENTRATION OF
NATIONAL FUNCTIONS IN
LONDON, AND THE STRENGTH
OF THE CAPITAL’S ECONOMY,
CAN ALSO LEAD TO THE SENSE
THAT IT HAS UNDUE INFLUENCE
OVER POLITICAL, ECONOMIC
AND CULTURAL DECISION
MAKING. 60 PER CENT OF BRITS
THINK THAT LONDON GETS
MORE THAN ITS FAIR SHARE OF
PUBLIC SPENDING.

7.

8.

LONDON AND THE WORLD
In the preceding chapters we have
seen that London has been a global
city for many centuries. Perhaps
more than most cities, it has been
open to and enriched by the many
encounters that have resulted. This
layering and coexistence of people,
ideas and cultures is the essence of
London today – and is reflected
across its architecture, language,
and identity.

9.

THE CITY’S EARLY SUCCESS AS A TRADE HUB,
AS WELL AS THE SEAT OF ROYAL AND
SUBSEQUENTLY STATE POWER, DROVE ITS
GROWTH. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND
BRITAIN’S DOMINATION BY FORCE OF OTHER
PEOPLES AND LANDS PROVIDED THE FUEL FOR
LONDON’S CONFIRMATION AS A GLOBAL
FINANCIAL CENTRE. BUT ITS GENIUS SPRANG
FROM THE MINGLING OF PEOPLE OF ALL
STRIPES AND NATIONALITIES IN LONDON’S
STREETS AND COFFEE SHOPS. IT WAS HERE
THAT NEW INDUSTRIES, PARTICULARLY
SERVICE INDUSTRIES SUCH AS INSURANCE
CAPITAL MARKETS, WERE BORN.

10.

WHAT CAN CITY BENCHMARKS TELL US?
There are over 600 comparative city
benchmark studies around the world,
spanning objective performance
indicators, composite analyses, and
surveys. More ways to measure and
compare cities exist than ever before, led
by intergovernmental organisations,
global companies, think tanks and new
data providers.