London was buzzing last week with news of Sadiq Khan’s huge mandate for a third term as Mayor. Commentary that focused on other candidates getting it wrong misses the point, and sells us Londoners short. Sadiq was the only candidate who actually likes our city.
The other runners, with some exceptions, talked about London as a place to be brought under control, punitive language for a city they see as too unruly, too diverse, too “woke”.
We’re lucky to live in the world’s greatest city, and the role of Mayor involves representing us globally as well, ensuring that London remains competitive. And that means green. Investors won’t consider cities that aren’t liveable and climate-resilient.
Will finance guys catch the tide to the City with their John Lobb shoes in a plastic bag, bobbing along in a big gilet soup?
Air quality has improved dramatically since Ulez, no matter how many cameras disgruntled drivers smash. Now Sadiq has unveiled a “moonshot” plan to make the Thames a swimmable river within 10 years. Is this going to mean we will commute like the citizens of Basel and Zurich? Will finance guys catch the tide to the City with their John Lobb shoes in a plastic bag, bobbing along in a big gilet soup? Savile Row can rest easy, the Thames is too fast for that.
But can we start to think about building lidos? Yes. The 25km Tideway Tunnel switches on next year, diverting sewage and starting the process of dramatically cleaning the river. There will be seven new public spaces above this truly “super sewer”. Perhaps its most important mission is to allow us to reconnect with the river. Spiritually, physically and literally — the new river park at Victoria Embankment allows the water to lap visitors’ feet at high tide.
Our personal reconnection with nature will also be crucial for London’s climate resilience. We flush away as much water in a day as we drink in a whole month.
In the face of rising temperatures, we are going to have to embrace nature in all its unruliness. I recently visited a climate action campus in Berlin where low-flush loos separate waste for use as soil fertiliser, and in Helsinki the city is considering no-flush lavatories in its parks. The concept of “sponge cities” is less drastic: green roofs on buildings, the planting of front gardens and urban wetlands all slow down the flow of rainwater. London will need to seriously think about water in the next 10 years.
Sadiq Khan is doing what good city leaders do — driving through policies that benefit future citizens. Come on in, London, the water’s (going to be) fine.
Caz Facey is a director at ING Media
