Urban Planning and Riots

Via Dave Hill, I came across this piece on urban planning and riots.  Suppressing an ignoble thought that however bad London's experience has been we don't sound as bad as parts of France, my next thought was that it sounds as if we are heading in the French direction. 

The government is making major changes to housing benefit in January 2012.  These are likely to lead to the effective expulsion of the poor from many of the richer areas of London.  Some of the changes are also likely to lead to much worse overcrowding.  The dire state of the economy, and the reluctance of the government to driving the supply of housing area also leading to an increasing polarisation.

In Brent, we are already seeing this.  Poor areas like Stonebridge are seeing poverty deepen.  There is good evidence that other parts, like Mapesbury or Brondesbury, are seeing the income profile of their residents go up (along with house prices).  This sounds like it is tending to the banlieue/rich area split that the articles describes.