Making of a World City

Greg Clark is a Londoner and expert on world cities. He works as an advisor to OECD, World Bank, Brookings Institution, ULI and more than 20 major cities around the world (including Auckland, Barcelona, Brisbane, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Moscow, New York, Oslo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Toronto) but learned what he knows from working in London as a leader in city agencies during the period covered by this book. He has written four books for the OECD and several published reports for the Brookings Institution, British Council and ULI.

“The Making of a World City: London 1991 to 2021, by leading global cities expert and Centre for London Associate Greg Clark, which is published this month, seeks to remedy this by considering how London got where it is today, and setting out the challenges still facing us.”  (Centre for London, 10 December 2014)

• About the Author ixForeword by Martin Simmons xiPreface by Rosemary Feenan and Robert Gordon Clark xiiiAcknowledgements xvSection I London in 1991 – Setting the scene1 Introduction: Honor Chapman and London:World City 32 London prior to 1991: The back story 11Planning for a new world city 12The rise of finance and a new rationale for post-industrial London 13A hiatus of government 16The LDDC and a new era of pragmatism 163 The 1991 London:World City report and its message about London 19Old rivals, new rivals 22An agenda for metropolitan governance 24Brand new: The promotion of London 26The future knowledge economy 29Section II The evolution of London, 1991 to 20154 The internationalisation of London’s economy 35Internationalisation of London’s labour force 39The global financial crisis and after 435 Leadership, governance and policy 471997 and a new direction for metropolitan government 52The London Plan: A global city strategy 56London boroughs 59Promoting London 60London’s governance today 666 Re-investment and urban regeneration 69Cultural revitalisation of the South Bank: Lambeth, Southwark and Greenwich 72New regeneration powers from 2000 74Regeneration in perspective 77From de-industrial to post-industrial: Building a new experience for markets, leisure and commerce 807 Corporate hub, officemarket and real estate 87The rise and rise of tall buildings 88The diffusion of London’s office geography 89The transformative impact of foreign capital 938 Homes and housing in London 99Consensus but complacency in the 1990s 100The London Plan and a new agenda for housing 101London’s housing predicament: Prospects and solutions 1079 London’s evolving infrastructure platform 111The impact of TfL and citywide government on transport 113From incrementalism to integration? 117Section III London today and in the future10 World cities today 121Measuring world cities in 2015 125Emerging world cities 128Insights from benchmarks about short- and long-term city success 13211 London in the next decade: Implications of the rise of other world cities 135Finance and business: Global leadership in a new context 138Culture, diversity and destination 143Higher education, technology and new sectors 145Sustainability and liveability: Aspiration or reality? 149Infrastructure, housing and skills 15112 Investment in London: Challenges and solutions 159London’s relationship with the UK 160London’s constrained investment scene 162The financial and investment capacity of London’s five principal rivals 166London’s fiscal position in perspective 16913 Eight imperatives for London 17514 Lessons from London for other cities 187Appendix 195Bibliography 197Index 219