Shard metaphors

Who will stick up for the Shard of Glass? Guardian writers have lambasted it as an egotistical architectural scar and a metaphor for greed, exclusivity and financial instability. It's certainly conspicuous and expensive: the tallest building in western Europe containing flats that will sell for up to £50m. But here, to the rescue, is Southwark Council's Labour leader Peter John. In a letter to the newspaper he wrote: The Shard may be a metaphor for modern London, but it is certainly not the one characterised in your paper. The development has not only paid for much needed improvements to London Bridge station and the public realm, but has also brought construction jobs and £5m of vocational training for local residents... The Shard will create 12,500 new jobs in London Bridge. These won't all be jobs for either financiers or cleaners, but will include a wide range of different opportunities...At a time when local government is facing the biggest cuts in its history – Southwark has been forced to make cuts of £90m in two years – new development is a way of bringing much-needed investment to areas that need it. Perhaps this takes a small liberty with history, in that the Shard project was born in boom time and the cuts to local government budgets are more recent. Even so, John's defence focuses the wider issue of where funding for job growth, skills training and infrastructure improvements can come from in the austerity age. As for the building itself, I'm both daunted by its scale and seduced by its style. At the same time, I've found when passing through London Bridge station in recent times that I've noticed it less the bigger it's become. What that's a metaphor for, I've no idea. The Guardian on London London's Shard opens to fanfare, but not for the common man The Shard rises above London - timelapse video The Shard: the best view of London? - interactive The Shard has slashed the face of London for ever Would Shard critics once have slammed the Eiffel Tower? The Shard will open to the wrong music 23 facts about the Shard Blackfriars station, the world's largest solar bridge – big picture British 'absent' from Battersea Power Station auction London 2012 Olympics Blog London legacy: the blooming park London legacy: measuring regeneration Boris Johnson: Barclays, bikes and overcharging Surprise over departure of two of Boris Johnson's senior police aides Does Boris Johnson's policing deputy have what it takes? Rush-hour train crowding at its worst for over 20 years Sexual harassment on public transport must stop Residents reclaim streets in corner of Haringey London blogosphere If Barclays has become a discredited business, should the Mayor and Transport for London be worried about its being the high-profile sponsor of their cycle hire scheme? Martin of Mayorwatch thinks they should: Given how tarnished Barclays' brand is, it's vital TfL now finally stop deceiving Londoners and set the record straight by reducing the prominence of the bank's brand to reflect the reality that it merely supports the scheme alongside fare-payers and local councils. His full argument is here . Coming up On Tuesday, the London Assembly's budget and performance committee will quiz the Mayor's chief of staff about his boss's next budget. On Wednesday, the economy committee will ask invited guests about wider provision of public wifi in the capital. A full list of next week's public meetings is here . I'll be blogging and tweeting . Thanks for reading.