London's Little Venice: Then and Now

Then



Now

In London, Houseboats Offer Alternative to High Rent, but New Problems Emerge.  (The New York Times, 9/26/2014)

Houseboat as affordable-housing option.

Lately, though, the houseboaters are facing a new and potentially bigger sort of problem: urban overcrowding. London housing prices continue to soar, up about 20 percent so far this year. One result is that the canal houseboat — once mainly an alternative lifestyle choice — has become an increasingly sought-after affordable-housing option. 

“The last two years have been an explosion,” said Mr. Ros, 53, who works as a freelance sound designer and lives alone in his one-bedroom boat. “With the cost of housing so stupidly high, there are a load of new, inexperienced people on the water. And a lot less space."