General Bruce sat in a car on the streets of London after finishing a meeting, preparing to leave this center of the world in the early twentieth century.
It was no exaggeration to call London the world's center in this era. In population alone, London, with its seven million inhabitants, undoubtedly surpassed most countries in the world. In economics, politics, industry, and shipping, aside from its environment, London had virtually no shortcomings.
If London had been a country of its own, it would still have ranked among the foremost in the world. This was what they called "one city rivaling one nation."
Looking at the exceedingly crowded London, General Bruce said to his secretary, "Even with the naked eye, one can see that London's population density has reached a terrifying level. None of our East African cities can hold a candle to it. Even Dar es Salaam city looks like a large village compared with London."
His secretary, Kovaye, seated in the front passenger seat, said, "Probably only New York in the entire world can contend with London. Our East African cities still have a long road ahead before they can grow to such a scale."
"Still, London has too many people, its buildings are packed too densely, its roads are terribly congested, and the air quality is abysmal. This place can only bluff country bumpkins who have never seen the world."
General Bruce agreed wholeheartedly. "Then I certainly prefer the Empire's cities. Still, arriving in London for the first time truly is shocking. This building density is practically a forest of steel and concrete."
From the beginning, East African urban development had followed a path different from that of European and American cities, placing greater emphasis on living conditions. Only in recent years had it begun constructing some high-rise