London at 10 million: Does it need a plan?

London has become the global city above all others. Its land and homes are tradable commodities; it is a nexus for the world’s migrant populations, rich and poor. The beauty of London is its generosity, availability, openness: almost anyone can find their niche there, make it their home, build their life.

At 8.6 million, London’s population is bigger than it ever. Pressure on housing is at an all-time high, producing a class of people who can no longer afford to live in the city, and another who continually have to accept poor living standards to stay. Is the triumph of free market London penalising those who make up the fabric of its success?

Many will argue the free market is no longer an adequate response to the extraordinary pressures that face London; it can no longer nurture and support the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity that made London great. As London hurtles towards a population of 10 million, does it desperately need intervention to develop the spaces in demand for industry, business and homes?

Join the discussion with author and journalist Rowan Moore, former senior policy advisor Rohan Silva, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow Rushanara Ali, and author and journalist Simon Jenkins. More to be announced.

Running time: 90 minutes, no interval.