Compared to what? It has a much lower population density than many large cities (much lower than New York, for example. Definitely much lower than Singapore or Hong Kong).
Actually the GDP produced by Londoners is
much greater than other parts of the country. To the extend there is poverty in London (just like you can find poverty in all parts of the country, particularly in regional parts of the North, Midlands and Scotland), it exists alongside great wealth and prosperity just like in all great historical metropoli (like Ancient Rome)
Actually London has quite a low crime rate by global standards. It's even quite low compared to many parts of the United States. There is no part of London that is even in the same poverty/deprivation universe as you will see in parts of, say, Detroit.
Your perception of London (filled with poverty, crime, pollution, etc) smacks of the kind of embittered, anti-London sentiment held in many parts of this country. It is held by people who are either jealous of London's greatness, or who are ignorant of its greatness and whose views on it have been poisoned by the prejudice of embitterment.
London is an absolutely cracking city, probably the best in the world if you enjoy, you know, human civilisation. London has all the upshots of New York, but with universal healthcare and less chance of being shot. It is the Jerusalem of the global finance industry. It has 30 universities. It is in the absolute top-tier (only rivalled by New York) in its position in the global advertising, insurance, legal services, finance and creative industries. It is filled with some of the best museums and most interesting historical sites in the world. It has beautiful architecture. It is filled with trendy food markets where you can enjoy a walk on a nice saturday morning, perusing the various scrumptious foods. It's filled with an unlimited number of prospective dates and sexual partners. It has so many parks, so many opportunities for exercise and recreation of the physical kind.
In late spring when the days are warm and long, and the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and everyone is enjoying a drink outside the pubs on the sidewalk, or basking in the sunshine at the Waterloo embankment before popping into the Brasserie Blanc for a bite to eat and then into the Southbank Centre to watch a debate between Richard Dawkins or Sam Harris and some disagreeable cleric.. on days like that, it's ****ing perfect.
There are very few cities in the world, like London, where no matter what your interest you can find so many people with whom you can geek out over it. There are few cities where you have so many options for wonderful, free (or cheap) intellectual entertainment in the evenings, like the museums, or public debates, or art galleries, or theatre. I haven't even done London the credit it deserves and I couldn't without going on for another five paragraphs.
The long and short of it is that Samuel Johnson was correct when he said in the 18th century, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life". Many people in this country mislike the metropolis having never really had an opportunity to appreciate its beauty, its depth and its wonder. Many link the sort of reactionary, right-wing embitterment against London possessed of so many of the provincial lower-middle class, with their personal lack of experience of London beyond perhaps a few day or weekend visits, competing and pressing against tourists on the tube and then pouring that frustration into their view of London. Frankly, Britons are lucky to live in the same country as London, you should take advantage of your proximity to such a city rather than moaning about it.
@jape @knightchildish @Willy Pete