“New ideas need old buildings.” So wrote Jane Jacobs in her masterpiece The Death and Life of Great American Cities. The book was written 40 years ago but the idea still holds true. It is among buildings left haggard with age amid the almost abandoned parts of Britain’s inner cities that some of its most cutting-edge companies can thrive.
In some cases setting up shop in such places can give companies a welcome edge to their brands. Not, perhaps, if you plan to sell expensive wedding gowns or Christmas turkeys. But an urban postcode can give cachet to street clothing, music or media companies.
