I don't know why you're being downvoted. It's true. If you want community, don't live in a city. Live in a small town or village where everyone knows everyone else.

There are plenty of smaller towns with a sense of community in London. It's mainly the centre that is a sterile wasteland.

I think It's because someone thought I was dragging things off topic a bit. I probably was. Having lived there it has almost exclusively negative connotations for me. I didn't live in a great area though.

It happens in London as well, mostly outside of commute time.

But yeah, there's no real sense of community in London, or in any big city really. Neighbours don't even know each other more often than not. There's pros and cons to this "anonymity" but it's nothing new nor exclusive to London. A lot of people actually like it this way.

Some people prefer it that way. I live in Liverpool and I find people on the underground there very nosey and intrusive.

Agreed. People seem to talk about more "friendly" cultures as being objectively better than less friendly ones. And by friendly they usually mean random strangers starting small talk with you more frequently. Personally, I normally find small talk tiresome and a waste of time with strangers, particularly if I get interrupted when I am daydreaming about something important to me.

Like parents then.Upsides and downsides. And similarly you might not realise what you've lost till it's gone. Liverpool is a warm friendly city.

Yeah - but in my experience the 'warm friendliness' includes old women feeling entitled to touch my baby in her pram because in their mind we're all one big family.

Horses for courses then.

I always liked old ladies fussing over my kids when they were small. The kids liked it too.