URBAN/SUBURBAN
PATCHWORK
1. Despite the above, the distinction between
urban and suburban can only be applied on a very general basis in relation to
any large city; for, in reality, such places - and, once again, London is as
good an example as any - tend to be a patchwork of urban and suburban areas.
2. The Greater London Area is, in fact,
divisible into a great many urban and suburban areas, from Sutton and Croydon in the south to Wood Green and Enfield in the
north, each borough having a principal town (Wood Green in the case of
Haringey) and a number of smaller towns, each of which has its own suburbs.
3. Thus although on a general basis one can
distinguish the urban centre of London from the suburban periphery, in
particular or specific terms even the central parts of London have their
suburbs and the outer or peripheral parts (as germane to the greater
metropolitan area) their urban centres, of which Sutton and Croydon
are outstanding examples.
4. It is not by mere coincidence that each of
the major urban centres, from Sutton and Croydon to
Wood Green and Enfield, boasts one or more indoor shopping centres, thereby
confirming and even asserting their urban status.
5. The three-tier shopping centres at Sutton (St
Nicholas) and Croydon (Whitgift)
put most other shopping centres to shame in terms of size and architectural
sophistication. Neither Wood Green (two
tiers) nor
6. Both Dublin (St Stephen's Green) and Galway
(the Eyre Square Centre) boast impressive shopping centres, and it seems to me
that no city or town worthy of the name can afford to be without at least one
such centre in this day and age, especially as they are fast becoming the
'heart' and - dare I say it? - 'soul' of urban life.
