To think that London has lost its edge amongst young people?

[znetzkisch]

When I moved out of home in the 80s, I was living in central London, and it was brilliant. The music, the people, the fashion, it was all so so vibrant and cutting edge. I felt as if I was at the centre of the world and people were looking at us for the next move. My mum described a similar feeling of London for her in the 60s.

These days, rents are so ridiculously high that young people cannot move to the city in droves to enjoy young life and all the city has to offers. My friends and I worked normal low paid grad jobs and we could afford a decent bedroom in a nice enough flat. The same flat today would mean I'd have to be earning £100k+ to even think about.

It seems such a shame that London is becoming the preserve of the international elite's money, and that it is losing its edge as the heart of our culture.

Yes I can imagine you're right.

I think that's bollocks.

London is still full of young people and culture. And of course you don't have to earn 100k to rent a bedroom in a shared flat!

Agree- I recently went to two fairly unremarkable bars both serving non-fancy gin and both charged £30 for Two double G&Ts. Who the fuck can afford to go out for a few drinks?

100k to afford a shared flat? What planet are you on 😂 my dc have friends living in shared flats in London and they earn between 25-30k. They aren’t exactly rolling in cash but it’s definitely doable.

£30 for Two double G&Ts

Holy Fuckity fuck.

-clutches pearls-

www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/topics/population-geography/

"London has a net migration inflow for people aged 15 to 29."

London has a far higher percentage of the population under 30 than any other city. It's growing rapidly, and the migration into it is largely by young people. The people who are moving out of London are overwhelmingly people 45+.

Its the same everywhere. You are not the same, london is not the same, the internet has globalised the world so no one has a physical identity anymore. We’ll never go back to those days coz people are not as physically connected to their environment anymore. Kids want to be global citizens, not part of an inner city culture movement.

And re the drinks, oh please. G&T is a thing right now and two shots of hipster gin and a posh mixer is going to add up, yes. Or you can have a beer for a fiver. Or drink at home. But just because you can buy an expensive drink if you really try doesn't mean young people are leaving London.

I live in central/east London and where I am, it's full of young people! I live in a gated development (approx 100 flats) and the majority of residents appear to be young. I sometimes wonder how they afford it. I assume some are funded by the Bank of Mum & Dad buying their flats and they rent out the extra rooms to friends but I'm also sure some are just young successful people doing well in creative industries (the area is a hotbed of start-ups etc). I generally feel ancient when I walk down the street at weekends. It's a very trendy area and definitely shows London's edgy side.

YANBU

Music venues closing down, pubs closing down, clubs closing down. Being replaced with apartments or boutiques.

Same in NYC, these cities become places for the wealthy. And if artists and musicians can't afford to live there, a city definitely loses some of its edge.

This would come as a surprise to dd and her friends, who certainly seem to be enjoying young life in London. Perhaps they're just less fussy about having a nice flat than you were, OP?

Great for the people who have dc in London, hope they are loving it! How many of those though are living off handouts by mum and dad...

Yeah, bollocks. It might be expensive to live but there are thousands and thousands of young people living there or living nearby and the music, fashion and culture scene is as thriving as ever. £30 for two g&ts is a lot but you can find that anywhere! You can buy a normal drink for 4/5 quid in any part of London. You can easily go out and enjoy london and spend a normal amount of money as you would anywhere. And I do regularly. It’s full of young people who still move there in droves. It’s a vibrant, amazing city and I doubt it will ever stop being that!

I think London still has the edge, but it has shifted:

Graduates are still coming to London. What’s different is that they are staying longer because they aren’t settling down (family, home etc) until their late 20s/early 30s.

Although they can’t afford Central London, hipster places like Shoreditch and Brixton are more affordable and close to Central London, so the edge has shifted there.

Also... It's a shit hole.

Young people want a 3 bed house with a garden.

They dont want a poky, wanky flat or single room at the age of 29-35.

So now they look elsewhere.

OP how would you know if it's lost it's edge around young people if you're not young yourself? haha, I joke.

I'm definitely not on 100k+ and I live in zone 3 for less than 1k a month including bills. As for £30 G&Ts, you'd only pay that if you were a) a tourist or b) rich enough for it not to matter.

I've lived in London & New York among other places and have quickly realised that a city's 'vibe; can only take you so far. It's really what you can make of it.

Plenty of young people/edge/culture in Croydon with grime, dubstep and all that. Stormzy's from Thornton Heath. No shortage of edge thereabouts!