South London Club

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better use of council money. Huge shout to to @Merton_Council for the improve of their shop parades in the region. Improving how an area looks has a major impact on the local economy. I always remember the story of broken windows in New York. The theory is simple. One broken window left unrepaired signals that nobody cares. So another gets broken. Then another. Until decline becomes the norm and feels impossible to reverse. The opposite is also true. One renovated shopfront tells the street that someone gives a damn. A business owner sees their neighbour invest and thinks , maybe I should too. A customer walks past and decides to go in rather than walk on. A landlord fixes the flat above because suddenly the area feels worth it. It’s not just paint and signage. It’s a signal. And signals change behaviour at scale. The before and after here isn’t just aesthetic. It’s economic. It’s the difference between a high street in decline and one with a future. More councils should be doing exactly this.

south London problems