about
Cities don’t follow the national economy – they are the national economy.
Cities are where most jobs are:
62% of jobs in Great Britain are in urban areas
Where most of our high-performing businesses are concentrated:
55% of businesses are located in cities, generating 60% of the UK’s GVA
And where most innovation occurs:
62% of private sector knowledge jobs are in cities
But the performance of our cities is uneven, and the ability to share in opportunity is not equal. We believe successful cities can and should deliver prosperity, innovation, jobs and opportunities – but to do this, they need greater financial autonomy and political devolution.
The brainchild of Lord Sainsbury of Turville, the Centre was set up in 2005. Our main goal is to understand how and why economic growth and change takes place in Britain’s cities, and to help cities improve their performance. Through our focus on the drivers of urban success, we are building up a strong track record of research on the economic performance of UK cities. Our work is designed to be relevant, accessible and of practical use to cities and the policy community.
See Our Work for more details on our current research programme.
The Centre for Cities is a registered charity (No 1119841) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England (No 6215397). Our core funder is The Gatsby Foundation, one of the Sainsbury family charitable trusts; and our chair is Nigel Hugill, executive chair of Urban & Civic.
