Living and working in London this summer has been a fascinating window into how a city’s values shape its culture. As someone working at a climate-oriented venture capital firm, I was excited to experience firsthand how sustainability is embedded into daily life here. Things like limited use of plastic bags, traffic congestion taxes, wood/paper disposable utensils, and dozens of other green initiatives have been in practice for years. I was in NYC before my internship and saw firsthand the difference that these policies can have on a large city. Efforts to seriously reduce car traffic through taxes in Manhattan only arrived there in January 2025. I followed that story as a major public policy debate and cultural clash over the future of American cities and see London as a case study of effective departure from car based commutes.
One of the most striking differences is how deeply public transportation is woven into everyday routine. The Tube, buses, and regional trains are more convenient than driving, especially given the fuel costs. The entire city is largely walkable and bikes dominate the roadways in designated “cycling highways”. Air quality is better and outdoor seating in coffee shops is desirable on quieter streets. Sustainable and urban planning initiatives show real-world benefits.
As someone who grew up in an American suburb, it is very difficult to live without a car and adjust to public transport. There are major downsides for personal freedom and mobility. Reliance on public transport makes more remote areas completely off limits which can be constraining for travel and access to natural spaces.
I recently took a weekend trip to Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough (the 13th Duke currently resides there). The scale of the estate was staggering, there were over 2,000 acres enclosed in the walls with Italian gardens and fountains. What surprised me most wasn’t just the opulence, but the fact that the current Duke still lives a lavish lifestyle. As an American, the idea of inherited nobility functioning in a democratic society is hard to understand. The titles and nobility carry weight even in modern society. Speaking to supporters of the Royal family shows deep cultural respect for the monarchs and their moral leadership. The armed services are technically sworn to the King, giving enormous power to an inherited title.
Generally, I do not experience dramatic cultural conflict here in the UK. The shared language and constant flow of people between the US and UK aligns them in many ways. There are Americans I interact with at work, and I am open to hearing perceptions of America from the outside. Attitudes towards social equality and income are very different, and I have read books by British economists written about the US to engage with the issue from both perspectives. Keeping up to date on British politics has given me an understanding of the city around me and the deep divisions playing out in the current government in the midst of the cost of living crisis.
