The Forest of London
The first time I visited London on my own I went for a walk around the City. Apart from various novelties like seeing the most people evar wearing suits in one place and paying 7 GPB for a sandwich I was interested in the buildings.
London is an organic city. It was not planned, it doesn’t have blocks. It has evolved and grown. Like trees in a rainforest, the buildings have become taller. Evolution requires old organisms to die, leaving space for new generations. It is the same with buildings.
I especially like the Gherkin, 30 St Mary Annexe. This was built on the site of a previous building which was destroyed by a bomb. Without this destruction, there would be no new building.
Some forests are like this too. Pyriscent seeds only germinate when burnt. Seedlings need the space and light created by the fire.
"Many plant species in naturally fire-affected environments require fire to germinate, to establish, or to reproduce, or all three. Fire suppression not only eliminates these species, but also the animals that depend upon them."
London is a forest.