Coffee in the Square

Mirror, mirrow on the wall which will be the biggest city of them all?

Price Waterhouse Cooper (or PwC as they now catchily call themselves) have just issued a fascinating analysis if the relative GDP of 150 major cities around the world and taken an educated stab at their relative success in 2020. Largest city economics in the world in 2005 and 2020 They have combined statistics for GDP with those for per capita income in order to arrive at a (relatively) equally valued output.  Using these statistics the number one ranking goes to Tokyo and according to the report London will be creeping up from number 6 to become the fourth largest capital in the world.  Tipped for the highest growth in real GDP are the great cities of China, that is Shanghai and Beijing, followed closely by Mumbai and the big Latin American cities.  Other far eastern climbers will include Seoul and Manila.

The study recognises the limitations of such an overview in particular by the slightly arbitrary way that the boundaries of such cities are drawn.  For example Greater London as defined by the GLA area would leave out a vast swath of commuter towns which rely completely on the London effect.  For example we could consider that Reading, Slough, Guildford, Luton and Basildon are all really the outer reaches of London.   

Of course what would also be interesting would be to compare the relative populations and the footprints of these cities.  London has very specific plans for physical and population growth, but its plans for economic growth are only inferred in The London Plan by an increase in employment.

I have a hunch that the Chinese cities with their mega growth plans may be underestimated in the stats and that existing major cities like London may be over estimated.  These figures were of course compiled by Englishmen!

This makes me mad!

I have decided to include a selection of outrages, rather like Architectural review used to do.  And for my first victim I have chosen HSBC bank for their cranky new interiors.
Why does a bank need to look like a disco?  Spangly lights and low levels, a dance floor and carpeted areas.  When you enter all you see is an array of machines that remind me of the soulless slot machines of Vegas. The human tellers are tucked inconspicuously around the corner. I know what they were thinking. Get rid of expensive staff and get the feel of the street - a most overused world in interior design.  The only place for a streetscene is in Disney Land or in a REAL STREET!  Interestingly when I went in and sneaked this photo all the people at the machines were bank staff, trying to make the machines work. Please send me your outrages and I will give them blogspace.

This is what HSBC's 2006 annual report says "HSBC Bank plc aligns its strategy closely to the HSBC Group’s strategic vision to be the world’s
leading financial services company, where leading means the HSBC brand is preferred to others. In working towards delivery of the vision, the bank has developed strategic initiatives for each of its customer groups. The bank’s priorities are to improve the customer experience, (continuing to develop the FSA principles of ‘Treating Customers Fairly’), to invest in developing HSBC’s brand and
encourage all staff to live HSBC’s brand values in their day-to-day activities, and to improve staff
engagement. The bank also focuses on investing in delivery platforms and technology, improving the customer experience, enhancing work practices and taking advantage of HSBC’s global reach."

Road Charging

As insomnia gripped the other night I had the good fortune to catch a very good discussion about road charging on the World Service. World Business Review It took as a starting point that the British government is laying the groundwork for what could be the boldest traffic management scheme ever undertaken. They stated the fact that opposition to road pricing is fierce in Britain as elsewhere, angry motorists seeing themselves as defenseless targets of a government plot to extract a new tax, while making them pay for their own surveillance. There has been a great surge of opposition on the government's website.  However I don't think this translates as opposition.  Its just fear of the new.  Most people I know who live in Central London welcome the congestion zone, and those who live outside welcome the improvement in buses.  if its modal shift we are after - then its clear that the congestion charge is successful.  Bus travel in London has increased by 37% in the last five years and London is the only world city where car transport has not increased; the decrease in the congestion zone being balanced by an increase outside the zone.

It is clear that traffic congestion is s global issue for congestion is a waste of time, money and energy as well as a completely unnecessary contributor to global warming.

In the programme leading international road transport academic, Professor Stephen Glaister of Imperial College, London, and the London transport authority; former British Transport Minister and candidate for mayor of London, Steven Norris; high tech transport expert Jason Barnes, editor of ITS International; and newspaper columnist, traveller and former member of parliament, Matthew Parris discuss the outlook for road pricing.

While I don't agree with what everybody said, I felt this was a sane discussion between people who understood the problem and had spent a considerable amount of time considering the solutions.  Stephen Glasiter has also very kindly offered a link to his own pamphlet National Road Pricing: Is it fair and practical? and if you want to sign the governments petition to support road charging then go to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Road-Charging/