Slow Burn City: London in the Twenty-First Century

by Rowan Moore

London has become the global city above all others. Money from all over the world flows through it; its land and homes are tradable commodities; it is a nexus for the world's migrant populations, rich and poor. Versions of what is happening in London are happening elsewhere, but London has become the best place to understand the way the world's cities are changing. Some of the transformations London has undergone were creative, others were destructive; this is not new. London has always been a city of trade, exploitation and opportunity. But London has an equal history of public interventions, including the Clean Air Act, the invention of the green belt and council housing, and the innovation of the sewers and embankments that removed the threat of cholera. In each case the response was creative and unprecedented; they were also huge in scale and often controversial. The city must change, of course, but Moore explains why it should do so with a 'slow burn', through the interplay of private investment, public good and legislative action. Fiercely intelligent, thoughtprovoking, lucidly written and often outrageously and uncomfortably funny, Slow Burn City is packed with fascinating stories about the physical fabric of London in the twentyfirst century. But by seeing this fabric as the theatre of social and cultural struggles, Moore connects the political and architectural decisions of London's enfeebled and reactive government with the built environment that affects its inhabitants' everyday lives. In this urgent and necessary book, Moore makes a passionate case for London to invent new ways to respond to the pressures of the present, from which other cities could learn.

Genres: Nonfiction, Architecture, London, Urbanism, Politics, Cities, Travel

544 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 2016

Reviews

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a persistent warmth and humour and intelligence to Moore’s work that makes it a real pleasure to read. I always get something worthwhile from his columns, but in the longer form he really seems to find his voice, it’s as if he’s allowed to spread his wings and really show us what he is truly capable of.

This book is many enjoyable things, it’s a guide book, a love letter, a piece of social insight, part political expose and it’s an adventure. It’s like being taken on a tour of one of the world’s great cities by a world class expert who throws in great little pieces of trivia, alongside profound insight to architecture and the politics and psychology behind it. Moore highlights the city’s established history of recovery and reinvention in response to fire, cholera, blitz, smog, he shows that the city and its people have always produced effective solutions in the past, insisting that this should give them faith to do so again in the future with the problems facing the city today.

We’re in no danger of a mere architectural tutorial here, Moore marries politics nicely with architecture and shows that it’s not just communist bloc countries who use it as a potent political weapon. He effortlessly renders HSBC ridiculous. Exposing some, cold hard truths behind the laughably misleading image it clings so hard to. He says, they can tell us enough about being all inclusive, but strangely no mention of Opium Wars. “If the bank was not responsible for the wars, it benefited from the business they facilitated.” He then goes onto discuss their significant part in many other ugly and shocking controversies.

His description of the Heron Tower was particularly memorable. “This is a place where City people are rewarded for their hard hours of screen based labour, for being in effect call centre workers with high incomes, with affirmations of status and delights of the senses.” He goes onto say, “I do however, experience some disappointment that the place is not more flagrant, more strutting, more of a coke and hookers inferno in the sky.” He heads to Canary Wharf spending some time there, trying to take pictures etc and his experience with the people there highlights just how sinister and other worldly that is.

Moore tells us about one American investment company who wanted to maximise revenues when buying up property, he shows us the case of one woman who’s monthly rent would have gone from £640 to £2400, if the company had got their way. Between 1988 and 2015 London’s population increased at a rate of 74’000 a year, which is predicted to accelerate. The apparent magic number of new houses that should be getting built every year in order to accommodate growth is 240’000. That has not been achieved since the 70s, largely in part to Thatcher and her right to buy policy. It’s ironic that Thatcher comes in for so much criticism in this book as Moore’s brother was personally chosen by her to write her autobiography.

He explains the problems and potential consequences of the increasing levels of foreign ownership by the elite and super rich, leading to so called Iceberg houses and ghost streets. He also discusses the legacy of the Olympics. He insists that two conclusions might be drawn after the games packed up and left, “that it is possible for public authorities to carry out major urban projects if they put their mind to it; That politicians can erect futile and extravagant monuments and get away with it.”

He focuses and condemns many projects in many other places, like the attempted regeneration of Tottenham after the riots and the VNEB (Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea) he concludes, “The egos of each architect overwhelm the cohesion of the place; what could be a magnificent conversation becomes a shouting match.” The revelations in the piece on the garden bridge are so outlandish, corrupt and awful that it belongs in the realms of fiction. If the same happened in any other country we would be laughing at them for the state of bloated excess and rampant corruption.

He peppers this book with some well considered insights, “The enemies of public space include the excess of vending, programming, branding and scripting, the things which, often but not always in the pursuit of profit, eliminate the spontaneous and uncalculated.” and nice turns of phrases like, “Designed to harvest the footfall.” and dead pan observations, “Google, Apple and Facebook want you to share everything, except their own patents and plans.”

He’s like someone who has learned his trade from the magic circle and is now coming out to reveal the secrets. This book unfolds at a nice pace and it’s all rendered in rich, colourful language with plenty of supporting photographs, maps and plans which really makes the overall package resonate. Moore is highly informed, weaving politics seamlessly into the fabric of this book, showing just how significant politics is, how inextricably linked it is with architecture and what it’s aims may be and who it is serving and why.

In a lot of ways this is the age old story of corrupt, greedy and lying politicians and property developers doing everything and anything to get what they want, where they want, no matter the cost to anyone else. Moore sees a lot of corruption, greed and atrocious decisions, but he always sees and appreciates a lot of beauty, creativity and originality and his love for London comes through strongly, which is why he is so vehement in his condemnation of the many who are doing it harm by their own greedy, selfish and commercial gain. This was like a nice blend of Iain Sinclair, De Botton and George Orwell at his political best.

[Chris Jordan Downes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. I'll be quoting this book, professionally and socially, for a very long time.

[Laura Linsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moore’s grasp of London is very impressive - there is so much of London and Moore analyses it so precisely through singular stories as well as generalised tendencies and makes it digestible and gripping. It is also not just about London of course but about many cities and their turning towards one-dimensional market-driven planning. It isn’t a book about hopelessness though! Rather a reminder of how a city must be … intersectional (?) or it ceases being a city altogether.

[Josh Marks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow burn book! Lol jk it’s good and I learnt a lot but not exactly gripping hun

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustive but not exhausting read. Expert analysis of what makes London both a triumph and a trial to live in. Brilliant!

[Steven Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best architecture book I read in all of 2022 was this one from 2017, picked up randomly from a Friends of the Library sale shelf in the Victoria Library, London, just last week.

A collection of essays about London’s history of architecture, planning, and development - from sewer infrastructure to the proposed Heatherwick Garden Bridge - its author, Rowan Moore, explores issues relevant to all cities: the meaning of particular places, whether intended or accrued; participation by all in public space and/or public-facing private space; fairness in things like housing, transit, and access to resources… All discussed with a perfect blend of seriousness and humor, apt metaphor and detailed description.

I may read it again to glean all that’s embedded here!

[Valeria Marzullo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has had me since the first page, with its detailed and high-worded love of London. It's powerful, perfect, humourous, smartly critic and very positive in the end.
Highly recommended to all London lovers out there.

[Martin Dubéci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ak máte radi Londýn, alebo architektúru tak určite prečítajte.

[JoFo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for fans of London, a brilliant explore of the city full of fascinating stories.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thematic take on a city that is struggling with the issues of modernity. Smoothly written and formatted with a inspiring splattering of real-life images.

[Herschel · Rating 5 out of 5]

There will soon be 10 million Londoners but, unless something radically changes, there will not be adequate housing for anything like that number.

Indeed, housing in the capital is already at crisis point. Rents are sky-high, house prices are inflated by global investors looking for a safe haven for their loot, and the new property that is being built is often shoddy and in the wrong place. According to the Observer’s architecture critic Rowan Moore, it needn’t be like this.

He argues for a more activist public sector and much higher standards of design. He looks for inspiration in London’s past and takes heart in the examples of Victorian reformers who used architecture and engineering to solve the problems of air quality, fire and sewage.

His harshest words are reserved for the ‘starchitects’ who have littered the London skyline with their vanity projects. The Shard, the Cheesegrater and the Walkie Talkie are all recent additions that combined international finance with corporate-speak gobbledygook and were waved through by London’s starstruck planning officials.

There is tragedy too: communities are being made extinct by the same short-sighted planners. Blocks of social housing are sold off and residents are made promises that are seldom kept.

Increasingly London is becoming a city of super-rich investors, extracting rent from the poor saps who have to work here. It’s clear whose side Rowan Moore is on in this angry, passionate and well crafted work of modern architectural history.