London: What Makes a Capital City?

At some point this week, you’ll likely look up from your screens and see London. Whether you live here or work here, whether you like it or not, this city is a part of your life. However you came to be here, unless you’ve been living under a rock since Roman times, you might have noticed London isn’t just any city. It’s a capital city – for us, it’s the capital city.

You may not think it, but that fact affects you every day. It doesn’t matter if you spend your time experiencing all it has to offer or don’t engage with it at all and just want to get out; being a capital has consequences. You only need go to Oxford Street (don’t) to see where 31.5 million visitors a year end up – it’s safe to say Norwich doesn’t see those kind of numbers.

Our status brings us problems and privileges, which are all part and parcel. Most of us are proud of our city’s standing and never think to question it. But aside from history, what makes a capital? And do we have any responsibility because of it?

If you’re not up on capital cities, then there’s a few beliefs we need to discredit.

Capital cities aren’t set in stone

London’s been capital for a long time since, but there are plenty of countries that change theirs. Russia moved its capital from Moscow and then back again, while Brazil relocated from Rio to the purpose built capital Brasilia. Argentina almost changed from Buenos Aires as recent as 2014, and Japan’s has bounced about all over the place. There are plenty more countries that have done so, but the real question is why?

Many cited overcrowding – Rio de Janeiro was simply too full, and Colombo in Sri Lanka needed congestion easing. Ivory Coast moved due to political reasons, Nigeria to create a religiously neutral, planned city. Australia’s story is so wonderfully Aussie – no one could decide between Melbourne and Sydney, so to stop arguments they built it in a relative wasteland between, Canberra.

Two Heads are better than one

Some countries have multiple capitals. Take South Africa for example: it has three. Pretoria is its administrative capital, Cape Town its legislative and Bloemfontein the judicial. All of that means nothing to most, but it’s to do with where certain government sections function. Sounds dull and what does it have to do with London?

More than you’d think. With Westminster due for renovations that could take six years and cost billions, some are suggesting a more permanent move for parliament. MPs are going to be ousted during the works and settle elsewhere anyway. And let’s face it, these guys don’t like change: once their bums hit the new benches, they may well take root.

Moving parliament seems an astonishing idea, but it’s not totally impossible. Why couldn’t we ship all the MPs to Manchester and share our capital status? What, if anything, would Manchester have to do to live up to the name, and what would London have to do to maintain it?

Well, likely nothing. Everyone’s idea of a capital is different – you might just be the seat of government like Dar es Salaam in Tanzania; the royal capital like Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur; seat of commerce as Colombo is for Sri Lanka or maybe even a capital of culture. Regardless, capitals old and new seem to have a certain je ne sais quoi about them. There’s a reason people get capitals wrong: we expect fame and power to go hand in hand. No one thinks of Valparaiso, The Hague or Sejong City capitals when they have the bright lights of Santiago, Amsterdam and Seoul to see instead.

With that in mind, perhaps London doesn’t have to worry just yet about seceding capital status. Our reputation precedes us and with tourism numbers hitting all time highs, our spark doesn’t seem to be going out any time soon. Keep doing you, London.

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