Reclaiming the night
The idea of creating “24-hour cities” has been all the rage. But second thoughts are setting in
ON A summer's day, apart from the intermittent drizzle and lowering sky, South Street in Romford looks as close to an Englishman's dream of a continental-style piazza as it is possible to get. Leafy trees line the extended pavements crowded with seats and tables as young families, pensioners, teenagers and businessmen tuck into a variety of faux-European dishes for lunch. Local cafes serve the full range of meaningless variations on the theme of coffee, from cappuccino through mochaccino to doppos, all at top prices. Round the corner, in the Market Place, it is French week. There are several stalls, complete with real, damp, Frenchmen, selling claret and cheeses.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Reclaiming the night”
From the August 12th 2000 edition
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