> If they wanted to make housing affordable, whether rented or to own they could get rid of the green belt, or encourage much denser housing. The infrastructure

> If they wanted to make housing affordable, whether rented or to own they could get rid of the green belt, or encourage much denser housing. The infrastructure problems could be solved by application of sufficient money and compulsory purchase, though one would need to massively streamline the current procedures on that, and on planning. If China can build subways with stations that open in fields, so could London. So to add to infrastructure strain, we'd have huge environmental damage. > As to the talented young, they speak English, if they weren't going to London it's very likely they'd be going to the States. Maybe. There are significant immigration barriers to that. The very talented, sure, but not your average educated IT guy (for example). > Never a matter of policy. Germany was the belated nation and it's multiple centres are a consequence of late unification and being split in half and made more federal in power structure by the conquerors. (I exaggerate the German lack of agency in the choice of West German state structure) Never said it was a matter of policy, more, as you say, historical happenstance.