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The progress of technological, social and economic change over the past century, coupled with globalisation, has led to the rapid rise and then fall of some major centres of industry both across the UK and around the world in recent decades.
But the echoes of these industries, and the ecosystems they created, continue to reverberate long after they’re gone. We’re now seeing an interesting trend in locations using their heritage to reinvent themselves, drawing on their legacies and sector expertise to innovate and place themselves at the heart of new technological developments to attract new occupiers.
Take, for example, Coventry. Previously the centre of UK car manufacturing – so much so it was dubbed the ‘British Detroit’ – Coventry saw a massive rise in production between the 1930s and 1960s before foreign competition saw it decline from the 1970s, although car manufacturing remains in the region through the presence of Jaguar Land Rover.
Coventry’s experience has been mimicked by its US counterpart: the deterioration of Detroit, the epicentre of US car production throughout the 20th century, is often called upon as an example of the decline and fall of heavy American industry.
But both cities are now undergoing somewhat of a renaissance, linked to their heritages, demonstrating that a legacy of talent and historical expertise should not be underestimated when it comes to attracting new occupiers.
In January Coventry was selected as the location for the world’s first fully-operational air taxi port. While the city’s location at the centre of the UK makes it geographically suitable for the site, it’s no coincidence that its future as a home for vehicle innovation is linked to its past expertise in this area.
Similarly, Detroit is reinventing itself from ‘motor city’ to ‘mobility city’ focused on ushering in a new age of personal mobility, revved up by a rise in venture capital raised in the city. Through partnerships such as the one between Fiat-Chrysler and Google, tech is now at the heart of its auto industry.
The pattern is not limited to the transport sector. Bletchley Park, pictured top, in Buckinghamshire is known worldwide for its codebreaking role during the Second World War and for being the birthplace of modern computing and encryption. While much of the site is now preserved as a museum for the nation, existing office space is due to be redeveloped on the wider estate as a home for new occupiers, likely within the software, wider technology, communications and possibly cybersecurity occupiers. Again, it is using its historic expertise and legacy knowledge ecosystems to build a future into the 21st century and beyond.
Together, these projects show that even many decades after an industry’s height it can continue to determine future occupancy trends.
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