Emma Jacobs is right that cities will be poorer if fewer children live in them (“The prospect of the childless city”, House & Home, July 15). As someone bringing up my children in the City of Westminster in the heart of London, I am a strong advocate of city childhood.
It is rare that any of our short walks to local amenities passes without bumping into school friends. We have easy access to green space, and like most of London, school performance is above the national average. World-class museums and cultural institutions on our doorsteps adds to the wonderful mix our children enjoy. Despite policy interventions over the years by Westminster City council to encourage the development of family sized homes and mixed communities across income brackets, the price of London property is driving the exodus. Despite how central our Pimlico neighbourhood is, it is more village-like than my car-dependent upbringing in Yorkshire.
Andrew Smith
(Lord Mayor of Westminster, 2021-22)
London SW1, UK