Opportunities in London

Cultural mix:
● Multiculturalism/cultural mix = a place that has more than one culture, living together in close proximity
○ Ethnic diversity from repeated migrations has brought a range of cultural experiences to the city
○ London is one of the most diverse places , worldwide
○ Cultural activity attracts many people to the city
● White people are now the minority in three boroughs (Newham, Brent and Tower Hamlets)
○ Inner city London is home to the highest non-white population in the country
■ Inner London → 37% of residents are from an ethnic minority
■ Outer London → 27% of residents are from an ethnic minority

Recreation and entertainment:
● Huge number of cultural attractions
○ Museums: British Museum, National Gallery, Natural History Museum
○ Theatres: West End → huge number of shows can be seen
○ Historical sites: Buckingham Palace, House of Parliament → tourist attraction
● Huge number of concert/cinema venues
● Lots of sporting events (eg/ Wimbledon Tennis, Oxford-Cambridge boat race)
● Unusual mix of bars, restaurants, street entertainment

Employment:
● Economy is dominated by financial and insurance activities → mainly in City of London
● Largest contributor to economy amongst countries of the UK
○ 2010 → London’s gross value added (GVA) was over £274 billion
○ Responsible for 46% of UK total GVA in financial and insurance activities sector
● Houses a major financial centre and range of business specialisms → attract highly skilled workforce
● More residents (16-64 and working) are employed in managerial, professional roles compared to rest of UK
○ 54% in London vs 43% in rest of UK
Transport:
● Integrated transport system = all the different forms of transport can link to one another (private and public)
○ Public transport
■ Public transport accounts for 25% of London’s journeys
● TFL controls majority of transport in London
○ London Underground
○ Red London Buses
○ Docklands Light Railway [DLR]
○ London Overground
● Commuters can travel on transport using Oyster Card/contactless
■ Buses congregate at airports
■ Trains link the UK together at stations like Kings Cross
■ Trains connect to Europe via Eurostar from St Pancras
○ Motorways → many of UK’s motorways converge on London’s orbital ring road (M25)
○ Airports → major hub international airports:
■ Heathrow
■ Gatwick
■ Stansted
● Integrated cycle network → 1 million people own bikes but only 2% of journeys are made by bike
Urban greening:
● Urban greening = increasing the amount and proportion of green spaces within a city
○ Creating rooftop green spaces
■ 700 green roofs
■ Covering an area of over 175,000m 2 , 17.5 hectares, 25 football pitches
○ Canals, rivers and river jetties to be used as significant waterbird breeding roosts
○ Offered huge range of green spaces open to the public
■ Hampstead Heath
■ Burnham Beeches
■ Stoke Common
○ All combine open space, wildlife habitat, recreational areas
○ Major new building projects have taken urban greening into consideration