Policy Hub
On 10 October 2008, the think tank Centre for Cities published a report which calls for cities to focus on ‘getting the basics right' as the best way to support innovative businesses.
The report contends that innovation has driven economic growth in cities such as Bristol and Newcastle in recent years. However, it suggests that public sector policies to promote innovation are too narrowly focused on science and technology and have served to create overlapping business and innovation support services, niche initiatives such as Science Cities or ‘gimmicky' science parks and innovation centres.
The report argues that the best way to support innovation is to make the city as a whole a more attractive place to do business. It suggests that overstretched transport links, slow planning decisions and unaffordable housing in cities such as Cambridge, Bristol and York are working to stifle innovation and its related economic benefits, such as higher incomes and new jobs.
The report suggests that: