Hi-rise buildings are incredibly wasteful and inefficient for human dwelling.Huge amounts of energy are required for servicing the buildings : water pumps cooling towers, ventilation fans, elevator power, fire protection, security protection, Ground stabilisation, water treatment.All of that costs, in installation, operation, maintenance and lifetime renewals (which is not very long in most of these structures, Be they office or dwelling.)Per resident they are costly. And everyone knows that when it comes to social housing and lower cost units these are skimped, corners cut and a constant battle by residents for property maintenance to be consistent and of a high standard. Even premium apartments suffer this problem with soaring fees to residents be they renters or leaseholders.Overdensification puts pressures on in all aspects of local towns, Transport, leisure, and in particular, Health. One only has to work for a short while in a health / social related job or contract, to realise just where the most problems exist for people. It's always in the overdense and multi storey dwellings. And it's not just poverty, It's common in the posher places as well.They know this, it's all happened before. But have authorities learned anything?Not the present bunch of morally corrupt Spivs.For a short while a few decades ago, Yes. When a halt was called to High Rise buildings. But the low rise labyrinths built instead are so flawed and badly designed, they simply created crime havens and another tier of poverty.Something that these LTNs will replicate in otherwise quiet safe districts.Given the mentality of some irresponsible Councillors, that's probably what they want.Drag everything down to make it all look equal.It's the easy option. Dragging everything up is admittedly far harder to do, but the current generation of developers, authority executives and politicians are bereft of any ability to achieve real improvements. Since the inception of the GLA and Mayor, all of them have pushed London as the place to be, It's way overcrowded, way too many unsolvable problems and played straight into the hands of developers and overseas investors ( Most of whom pay no tax in the UK as most property transactions take place in offshore locations)No-one party is to blame they are all as bad as each other.But the Mayor and his chums all seem to have mass amnesia. Anyone remember his big campaign to curb overseas property investors and empty investment apartments being built en masse ?Still more empty and cleaner only occupied dwellings in London than there are people requiring homes. And most not really suitable for a proper family existence.If Bell had Balls rather than Bullies, He would make a stand and say no more.
Raymond Havelock ● 1711d