[detritus]

This seems to be the case across much of London, sadly.

'Synthetic' is the word that comes to mind whenever I see these developments. Frankly, as much as the effort impresses me from a technical point, I'm content enough only ever seeing it from afar when I pass vaguely nearby on a train going south. I suspect I'll never actually walk through it.

Having 'argued' with people on HN about this sort of thing beforehand, I know that my view isn't exactly unanimous, so clearly some people like this sort of 'development'.

[jl6]

Synthetic is the right word. They are trying to package and sell authenticity. I just went to the website of the development. Sorry, the “village”. They’ve even got a “street food festival”.

I don’t really object to any of the commerce, but the fake brands and lifestyle are intense cringe.

[nradov]

Authenticity is a luxury for the privileged. Most people just want a decent place to live at an affordable price.

[_dain_]

Would you walk up to any of the people at that street food festival and tell them that what they are doing is "fake"? Why should they listen to you?

Are they fake people? Are they living fake lives? Do they not live up to your standards of personhood?

[jonwinstanley]

Unfortunately this is the way of the world. This is a major redevelopment and has cost hundreds of millions of pounds. To do it they take on huge investment, the investors expect a return so obviously they’ve built fancy shops, restaurants etc.

I understand that there are places where redevelopment has been handled more sensitivity but this area in particular has needed an enormous outlay to convert it such a primate area.

Hopefully within a few years it will start to gain its own identity and start again.

[mmarq]

> Unfortunately this is the way of the world. This is a major redevelopment and has cost hundreds of millions of pounds. To do it they take on huge investment, the investors expect a return so obviously they’ve built fancy shops, restaurants etc.

I always wonder what’s the alternative to fancy shops. Is it the usual English high street with store signs made of rotten wood? Cheap minicab companies?

> I understand that there are places where redevelopment has been handled more sensitivity but this area in particular has needed an enormous outlay to convert it such a primate area.

There’s nothing to preserve in that area. It was an industrial wasteland surrounded by council flats and dodgy pubs.

> Hopefully within a few years it will start to gain its own identity and start again.

Hopefully not, hopefully it will develop a new and better identity.

[stuaxo]

The template for most British town centres is terrible.

[detritus]

Quite. I suppose I'm ignoring the fact that London was developed in bygone years in similary large tranches that have eventually found their form.

[202206241203]

In a second-world country, they would just demolish the building and maybe sell some of the control room knobs on e-bay. It might be as good as it gets in terms of involving private capital.

I personally think that mid-century technological artefacts are underappreciated.

[SoftTalker]

Yes I love this era of technology. Just look at the photo of the control room. It feels like it's really scaled to be usable by humans. The large dials, levers and switches, all styled artistically as well as functionally. The natural light, marble walls, all the detail in the ceiling, floor, and woodwork. It looks like a very comfortable room to be in.

Compare to the more modern sterile industrial control rooms, windowless, cold, everything run on screens and keyboards, no sense of a connection with the massive machinery being operated.

[LightG]

The UK is a second world country.

[stevoski]

“Second world”: the former communist block consisting of the Soviet Union and some countries in eastern Europe.

[flir]

It's cold comfort, but gentrification isn't an end-state it's a process. Large parts of London have reached their soulless peak, and are going to start sliding down the other side of the slope. In a couple of generations they'll be filled with the marginalised again, and the cycle will start over.

[astrange]

The counterfactual to gentrification (no investment) wouldn’t help anyone; you’d just have some rotting empty buildings.

Though, what people call gentrification is often just younger people moving into an area replacing older people. So maybe you could fight it by building senior housing and whatever it is old British people like. Model trains maybe.