Europe's biggest shopping mall opens in London.

[Dinner]

Well, London's east end really. The east end is one of the poorest places in the UK so the London government decided to plow most of it up and redevelop it into the center of next year's Olympic games. It's not just sports stadiums they built but also housing for the athletes (to be turned into affordable housing after the games end), new public transit, and a giant sprawling "destination shopping center" which is now the largest shopping mall in Europe. 300 shops (many of them huge shops), 70 restaurants, 3 giant hotels, loads of office space, and the largest casino in the UK. They may not be great jobs but at least they are new jobs being created and a previously blighted area has been redeveloped.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14893405

[Cort Haus]

I know some people who are quite excited by the casino, but there is a sense of wonder at some of the high-end shops there, and how long they'll last. The point being whether anyone can get their Apple products home while still in possession of them

Maybe I'll be able to get a job as a cleaner or something at some point before it all dies after the limpix.

[Uncle Sparky]

Go and spend huge amounts of money. Its extremely important for this mall to succeed.

[Evil Knevil]

Part of the 'gentrification' of Stratford. It links in with those huge, hideous and subisidised luxury flats that are springing up all over the borough. The only problem is that bugger all is being done for the benefit of the people already there, few jobs, inadequate housing (overcrowding), high and disruptive crime, and a diverse ethnic population that don't get along with each other.

I don't see the point of this, if it's for yuppies going to Canary Wharf, then there's already enough empty luxury flats even closer to those crude fingers of Mammon. The best it can be is an island surrounded by a sea of poverty; much like Canary Wharf itself.

[Cort Haus]

What do you mean by subisidised luxury flats?

[Cort Haus]

Also, might it not occur to you that shops can mean jobs for local people? No, I don't suppose the latest issue of 'Class War' mentioned that. You point at 'few jobs' and complain about them when they arrive.

[Dinner]

An American company owning a mall built by an Australian company in the poorest place in the UK. Great stuff really.

[Evil Knevil]

Sorry for delay in reply.

The subsidised luxury flats are those like Icona Point, built with developers money, but given easy credit, planning et al, as well as subsidies for buyers, such as shared-ownership, partbuy, having the deposit paid et al: http://www.telfordhomes.plc.uk/commercial/icona/ --advert for the commercial space within.

As to the latter point, Westfield East will provide 10,000 jobs, of which 2-3 thousand are from the local community. Yes, jobs are good, and any money spent in the community is likely to be of benefit. My point is merely that, firstly, this sort of development is unlikely to attach sufficent demand for occupiers or buyers. Secondly, that even if it does, it will resemble Canary Wharf, where there's a physical and economic gulf that's almost impossible to bridge. If you see the Isle of Dogs, you see a bubble of wealth, surrounded by a ring of poverty. The worlds hardly ever meet, and the people living there don't exactly work along side each other; there's a clear spatial division, even with 'dodgy' and safe streets. Moreover, the wealth tends not to be spread about, the good jobs, or even the service jobs go to people outside the area, and money spent doesn't go to local pockets.

I'm afraid that Stratford will be exactly the same; a few (service) jobs, and a gulf It's all very well inviting the prosperous into an area, and in many parts of London displacement has changed the character of the area. However, it's a failed model in raising living standards for the majority living in poorer conditions, who either get left behind or get moved. Money would be better spent improving their conditions and providing local jobs. No 'class war', just fairness.