How successful was Britain’s plan for its own Silicon Valley? | Torsten Bell

Policymakers might learn from London's Silicon Roundabout experience

Every city wants a cluster, a concentration of high-productivity firms and workers beavering away in a particular industry in a particular place. Proximity means ideas and productivity growing and spreading. Who doesn't want their own Silicon Valley?

David Cameron certainly did. In November 2010, he announced the "Tech City" programme, aiming to grow a digital cluster in Shoreditch, east London. The plan was to use branding to get firms in, networking to ensure those ideas get flowing with focused support for high-potential firms.