VIEW FROM THE NORTH

摘要

At the AJ roundtable on retrofit at MIPIM, the property conference held in Cannes last week, chair Paul Finch fired an 'opener' at each of the guests: 'So how is it for you?' It was an attempt to take the pulse of the world of architecture and property in the midst of 'austerity Britain'. The guests laid out a barely recognisable picture, to non-Londoners, of life at the pulsing heart of a thriving international metropolis. Now don't get me wrong - I'm a Londonphile. I recognise its international status, its appeal to those on the fickle and flighty international wealth circuit, the value of its stability to the recently displaced and, potentially, dispossessed international iiber-rich, and its cultural richness, diversity and quality of life -assuming that a life of quality is something you can afford.