I have lived in Swiss Cottage and before that Chiswick, Notting Hill, Leicester Square, Acton, Wimbledon

As others have noted, I think Forest Hill has a strong community feel - one that Ive not found elsewhere in the city.

For transport links, most places are easy (and faster) to commute to by bike from here.. see link that I found earlier today..

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog...rt-faster

..and as far as making things better, the proposal to bury the A205 would be a great idea - certainly for the town centre.