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!

Is it all a load of rubbish?

I've been reading Kevin Harris's blog Neighbourhoods and thinking about rubbish.  He is complaining that this whole recycling thing gets so complex and that he now has four bins.  I got to thinking that most of our rubbish comes from supermarket packaging so I decided to check out what M&S had said in their recent press release about going green This is what they say:
"Using packaging materials from sustainable or recycled sources, for example cardboard, metal, glass
and plastic.
Restricting the range of materials we use in packaging to ones which are easy to recycle or compost, so customers do not have to throw rubbish away. This will include focusing on using four types of plastic (corn starch derived plastic PLA, PP, PET and PE)
Printing simple symbols on all our packaging, to make it easy for customers to recycle or compost waste
Reducing our use of carrier bags by 33% and making all our plastic bags from recycled plastic."

But its the consumer not the shop that has to contend with all this waste.  So I have written them asking the following question?

"I was pleased to see that M&S are taking climate change seriously.  There has been a lot of discussion on the Internet recently about packaging.  I see that you still plan to use plastic packaging, and though I'm sure it might be recyclable in time - if I buy something in all that packaging then its still highly likely to just end up filling up a dustbin.  What about reducing packaging all together.  You could a)put fruit and veg in reusable boxes (as greengrocers have done for years) or b) use glass or ceramic recyclable pots for ready meals and offer a small inducement for returns."

We await an answer!

Chicago - New City Plan

I'm planning to go to Chicago to check out their regeneration programme.  I would recommend their Central Area Plan to anyone who wants to see how it should be done.  I can't vouch for the strategies, but they do read well on the page!

View Chacago Central Area Plan

Chelmsford - Is this all there is?

Chelmsford - Essex

-

UK

A lovely sunny day and we just need to stop somewhere on the A12 for a late breakfast coffee.  So we stop at the Wild Bean Cafe at the BP petrol station there.  As petrol stations go this one is not the worst.  In an effort to increase the all important market share petrol stations have been vying with one another to increase the quantity of goods on sale. This one sells food, papers and mags, flowers, coal, car accessories and has a little café – where the coffee is OK. And my husband

Mike

would also like to vouch for the general yumminess of the biscuits.

However I would like to ask the question; “Why can’t these service stations be better designed?”  And who decides on the use of space?  There was a lot of unexciting grass verge. But would it be so expensive to create a small eating out area?  Could there not be some better landscaping?  In the end we had to drink our coffee sitting in the front seat of the car?  Couldn’t the loos be nicer – just a bit brighter and a bit cleaner?  I’m sure they would sell more if the place was more attractive to linger in.  And lastly why is the station not linked by cycle and pedestrian routes back into the town? Don’t locals need car accessories too?

When we were in

Finland

we noticed that in the lonely north, where settlements are very sparse and spread out that the gas station had become the centre of the community.  People would walk there to get their daily papers.  The café was full of happy locals and they sold souvenirs of the region as well.  (They do this in

France

too by the way)  But the main difference was that the place was clean and well landscaped and looked distinctive.

I suspect that it has something to do with our high wages.  If  someone from BP or the Wild Bean would like to comment that would be great…and if you have been to an exceptionally good petrol station recently do tell all.

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=2001318