Capital of Capitals

"Once upon a time", London was the centre of an empire that covered a quarter of the planet, and a quarter of the world's population. The jewel in the crown was India, but that crown was fittingly kept in London, at the time, the capital of capitals. In the 19th century there was no city larger than London, nor had there ever been. She was considered the centre of the civilisation, just as Athens, Rome, and Istanbul once were, and London became the blueprint for the modern metropolis.

Take, for example, the 19th century population explosion. Greater London's population was just under 1 million people in 1800, but exploded to 6 million by the end of the century. That's an average increase of 50,000 per annum (which, incidentally, is less than South East Queensland's population growth). A further 2.5 million moved into London between 1900 and 1939, an average of 65,000 arrivals per annum. Where do you house that many people? How do you transport them en mass, to and from work? And how do you manage basic services in high-density? Dr John Snow's discovery of the source of cholera in Soho is the story that perhaps best exemplifies these problems, and what humankind collectively learned from the solution.

Today, the crumbling, creaking, rotting legacy of Victorian London is all around to see, if you know where to look. Thames Water are presently upgrading London's water mains to improve efficiency and reduce waste. The statistics are staggering: half of London's water mains are more than 100 years old, and one-third more than 150 years old! Londoners moan about so many things - and have reason to - but in reality there are actually many improvements going on. The tube network is undergoing a massive, and lengthy, upgrade of every station. New lines are being added. Two of the city's five airports are being upgraded with new terminals. And ultra-modern skyscrapers, like the Gherkin, the Walkie-Talkie, and the Shard of Glass, are popping up all over the place. All of these things were planned before the Olympic bid, perhaps a product of the New Labour-inspired push that became Cool Britannia. But it's worth considering the Olympic effect for the future.

I'm reminded of my visits to Sydney before the 2000 Games, where, I felt, there was a buzz that comes with being the focus of world attention. I feel the same way about London. I'm not sure how long this will last, but it makes it a very exciting place to be right now. My thoughts aren't new to me. I first sensed this excitement not long after arriving in July 2005. Since then, I've struggled to determine if the excitement is "just me" and my newness to London... or whether something else is going on. I once asked a work colleague what he thought, but my question was greeted with classic English reservation: "it certainly does feel like large parts of London are a construction site". But I'm finally beginning to think it is a real phenomenon: have a read of Jasper Gerard's excellent article The Rise and Rise of London, published in The Telegraph, 17 February.