"A glittering global capital that attracts investment and an emblem of a housing crisis with a quarter of residents living in poverty. Is London fair? The London Fairness Commission wants to hear your thoughts on what would make it better
Transport delays, rainy days and noisy neighbours: if you’re a Londoner, lots of daily irritations might feel unfair. But when we really think of what fairness means, is London a fair city?
Inequality grips the UK capital: while many benefit from the city’s economic successes, others struggle to get by. As a housing crisis causes many to live in poor conditions or move out of the city altogether, construction cranes animate our skyline to build yet more luxury developments. In 2013, the London Poverty Profile reported that more than a quarter of Londoners (28%) were living in poverty, and that the city is the most unequal region in the country in terms of income.
But, as Danny Dorling and Richard Brooks outline, fairness is far more than just equality. The London Fairness Commission, for which they are both commissioners, was launched last month to start conversations ahead of the 2016 Mayoral election about whether London is a fair city, and if not, how it could become fairer.
“Rather than advocating for our own interpretation of fairness in London, we want to hear how Londoners understand fairness and which measures they feel are needed to make London the leading global fair city,” Dorling and Brooks explain. To this end, the commission is undertaking a callout to gather responses from Londoners on the topic which will help inform the solutions the commission presents to the Mayoral candidates next year.
The Commission is chaired by Lord Victor Adebowale, and is comprised of fourteen expert commissioners from across the worlds of business, research, health and charity. The considerations of the Commission will be structured around the themes of income, wealth and housing.
Share your thoughts and priorities on making London a fair city below – and we will feature a selection of responses on Guardian Cities. The call for responses closes on 1 August 2015."
Fonte: The Guardian
