Transport is the lifeblood of London's economy - we need to get it right

Stephen O’Malley, our CEO at Civic, has penned an article for The London Standard, exploring why it’s a pivotal moment for transport-led development in London. 

The article covers:

• How transport connectivity is the lifeblood of London’s economy, and why the green light for the Thamesmead DLR extension marks a turning point for the city
• The importance of looking at large-scale projects as integrated infrastructure ecosystems, with energy, water, digital connectivity and climate adaptation not separate issues
• How good design safeguards property values and ensures insurability

Stephen reflects on the article:

“The London Standard has published a piece from me reflecting on the moment London now finds itself in, a city on the cusp of extraordinary possibility, if only we choose to think and act as one.

“The Thamesmead DLR extension is more than a transport scheme. It is a signal, a strong pulse of confidence sent through the city’s veins, reminding us what is possible when ambition meets clarity. But it should be just the first note in a much larger composition.

“London needs an infrastructure strategy that sees the city as it truly is: a living, breathing system where energy, nature, water, digital networks, movement and public life are inseparable. A strategy that replaces silos with coherence, friction with alignment, and short-term cycles with long-term stewardship.

“This isn’t a plea for speed at the expense of care. It is a call for decisions unclouded by politics, for a shared framework that values social fabric and environmental resilience as much as it values housing numbers. A reminder that infrastructure is not just steel and concrete, it is the stage on which the city’s future will be lived.

“London has always been a city of reinvention. If we can think one system rather than parts, if we can bring voices together rather than apart, we can shape a metropolis that is fairer, greener, and more richly human than anything we’ve built before.

“The opportunity is here. Let’s have the courage to seize it.”