Old and new side by side, for now

 London's old streetscapes are disappearing bit by bit year after year.

When it was built the glass-skinned tower in the background was the tallest building in London. It was all of 26 stories. Today, it is an also-ran.

Downtowns were once more than "destinations." Folk both lived and worked downtown. Factory workers and bankers worked in the same area, sometimes on the same block.

Downtown is actually doing a bit better than many imagine but it is not doing as well as many would like. Whether or not all the recent changes, too often extreme changes in planning decisions, will bring vibrancy back to the core is still an open question. It is beginning to look like a lot of Londoners do not see the downtown as the all important beating heart of the city. These Londoners do not share the city planner's dreams.