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'Nobody My Age Can Afford to Stay Here Forever'

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Re: 'Nobody My Age Can Afford to Stay Here Forever'

#61

Post by mseebach »

icebraining wrote: post #46
mseebach wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's maddening that property owners can vote against new construction, when they have a deep conflict of interest. > landed incumbents voting to screw over the young That pesky "democracy" and "giving everybody a voice" getting in the way of what I want right now . (oh, and a small nitpick: Homeowners don't have conflict of interest, they simply have a different interest which may conflict with yours)

That pesky "democracy" and "giving everybody a voice" Can people from outside of London who want to live there vote on those issues?

Most of the planning policy that affects the current housing shortage (along with most things in the UK, really) is decided nationally, so I'm going to have to go with "yes".

But ask yourself this: Given where you live now, how do you feel about people who don't live where you do deciding what should happen where you live, because it would suit them (not you) better?

Re: 'Nobody My Age Can Afford to Stay Here Forever'

#62

Post by venomsnake »

jstanley wrote: post #37
crdoconnor wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>That you see yourself as being one of the "original" residents doesn't give you some inherent right to below-market-prices in property. It speaks volumes that you implicitly put the rights of Russian oligarchs and Arab oil barons to buy property (which they often leave empty) above those of the working and middle classes of London. I'll come back to London when they start taxing the wealthy again. Until then I'll wa…

> It speaks volumes that you implicitly put the rights of Russian oligarchs and Arab oil barons to buy property (which they often leave empty) above those of the working and middle classes of London. It's not about putting anyone's rights "above" anyone else's -- whoever is willing to pay the most gets the property, that's all there is to it.

Not rights but interests. The brits are getting the shaft, while the rich foreigners pour their money.

Re: 'Nobody My Age Can Afford to Stay Here Forever'

#63

Post by pjc50 »

xefer wrote: post #41

I'm curious: what is considered "London" in this context? Wikipedia breaks down the demographics into Inner, Outer and Greater London. In each case the population has been growing rapidly, so who exactly is moving in and who is moving away?

Churn. Generally the people leaving are older and whiter than the people moving in.

Re: 'Nobody My Age Can Afford to Stay Here Forever'

#64

Post by joosters »

irremediable wrote: post #50
joosters wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What? London is full of new housing under construction. Many of the flats will be tiny as well. The problem (for those trying to live in the city) is that the houses will be hugely expensive. For London in particular, the problem is that there are too many people who want to own a house there. That's why the prices are high. You can't call the place underdeveloped, it's not a lack of supply due to regulations. If you…

As I understand it, the problem is that new construction is outstripped by increasing demand. Hence the increasing prices. I read an article in The Economist's recent suburbs/cities issue where they said a lot of the problem lies in how people are prevented from developing the green belt.

And rightly so, IMO. At some point you have to accept that you aren't in London any more, and the green belt is as good a point as any to do this.

Much better than an interminable urban sprawl.

Re: 'Nobody My Age Can Afford to Stay Here Forever'

#65

Post by srgvd »

tensorproduct wrote: post #49

I have sort of a different experience. I just moved to London, from Dublin, a few months ago. I make a good, but not outrageous, salary: pretty close to a reported average for software developers in London. I live in a somewhat rundown area, just outside zone 1. The rent is expensive, but not unmanageable. I have flatmates; the area feels safe; its close enough to bus and tube lines that getting around is simple. I l…

It's completely possible to live in London. But imagine trying to stay here, like, for life. Starting family, raising kids, buying your own place. Not possible, on any income. You need wealth, and in London there's no way to build it for salaried professional.

It's a good place to spend one's youth though.

Re: 'Nobody My Age Can Afford to Stay Here Forever'

#66

Post by amelius »

bruceb wrote: post #2

Reminds me of this article talking about living in Barcelona and commuting to London being cheaper than living in London: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/cheaper-to-live-in-barcelo...

Interesting strategy. Except of course that it adds an unduly amount of CO2 to the atmosphere.

Re: 'Nobody My Age Can Afford to Stay Here Forever'

#67

Post by pjc50 »

srgvd wrote: post #57

Single earner with 2 kids living in London on top-1 percentile income here. 60% of that monthly income is going towards rent, taxes and utilities for a terrace in Zone 4, plus nursery charges for our toddler. My wife can't find a job here, as she's an ex-journalist, and not a native speaker. No tax allowances (due to £100k+/y income) and no recurse to public funds (I'm on Visa, and not an EU citizen) doesn't help eit…

Single yearner

With great typo comes great wisdom.

Re: 'Nobody My Age Can Afford to Stay Here Forever'

#69

Post by pessimizer »

peteretep wrote: post #20

I also left London recently, although I moved due to the weather. For every 29-year-old graphic designer who moves to Cambridge to buy a family home, there's a 22-year-old who's just started their career who's willing to live in a bedsit in Wood Green (as, coincidentally, I did at 17, trying to break in to the big city). You're meant to get older, and move out of the city. Circle of (urban) life. Give it 50 years, an…

>You're meant to get older, and move out of the city.

This is the perspective of someone who moves into the city from their suburban and small town homes and families. They plan to make a lot of money, meet a partner and drink a lot, get married, get a dog, have a child, then move back to the suburbs in a senior position at a remote BigCo to a house that looks just like the one they grew up in.

Most people in the city were born there, live there all of their lives (or maybe switch cities), then die there. Those people are being displaced by what are ultimately temporary residents who can always go back home.

Are you surprised when you see older people who live in the city?

Re: 'Nobody My Age Can Afford to Stay Here Forever'

#70

Post by blowski »

xefer wrote: post #41

I'm curious: what is considered "London" in this context? Wikipedia breaks down the demographics into Inner, Outer and Greater London. In each case the population has been growing rapidly, so who exactly is moving in and who is moving away?

Few ordinary people live in 'inner London'. That's like the West End, the City. I imagine most people are moaning about Greater London - Shoreditch (where the "Silicon Roundabout" is based), Stratford (where the Olympics were, is part of the wider Tech City initiative), and other trendy neighbourhoods like Kensington, Camden, Fulham, etc. However, even Outer London (typically anywhere that's Zone 3-6 on the tube) is starting to become ridiculously expensive.
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