The role of Lord Mayor of London dates back more than 800 years

and includes a number of ceremonial duties of national significance. But today, the overriding responsibility is to support and promote financial and professional services across the City and UK. This includes building relationships with global partners, and bringing to bear our unique heritage and wealth of talents.

The continuity and diversity of the City’s business offer is mirrored in the urban landscape of the Square

Mile. The City provides exactly what a 21st-century business requires: an outstanding range of office spaces, world-beating infrastructure, a highly skilled talent pool, a wealth of cultural and entertainment attractions, and priceless character and authenticity. All of which makes it one of the world’s most stimulating, rewarding and attractive places to visit, live and work.

London has long fostered productive business relationships and innovations – from the trading coffee

WELCOME

houses of the 1600s, which gave rise to the Lloyd’s of London insurance market, to today’s Tech City. This prospectus showcases the many ways in which the City is continuing that tradition, paving the way for the coffee houses of the future. Andrew Parmley, Lord Mayor of London

“THE CITY PROVIDES EXACTLY WHAT A 21st-CENTURY BUSINESS REQUIRES”

The City of London | The original co-working spaceThe City of London | The original co-working space 54

The City has a rich architectural heritage, with 600 listed buildings and structures. But half of its office space has been redeveloped or refurbished since 1990

The City is home to Europe’s largest insurance market – and its largest multi-arts venue

The UK is the world’s largest exporter of financial services, and the City of London is its nerve centre. But 1 in 12 City workers are actually in the technology, media and telecom sector

Two-thirds of City employees work for large companies. But 98.7% of City firms are SMEs, and 80% have fewer than 10 employees

The City was founded in 43 AD by the Romans and its medieval street network exists to this day. But underneath those streets, there is a network of gigabit fibre broadband, and at street level, there will soon be an advanced “mesh” providing unlimited gigabit wifi free to the public

The City of London Corporation is the fourth largest funder of the arts in the UK, investing in the redevelopment of the Museum of London, a new philharmonic concert hall and a rolling programme of sculptural exhibits

The City is one of Europe’s densest commercial areas, with 17,980 businesses and 8.7 million sq m of office space. But there are also more than 150 gardens, churchyards, parks and piazzas scattered throughout the Square Mile, just waiting to be explored…

The City of London | The original co-working space 7

In the five years to 2015, the City saw employment growth of over 27% – nearly 100,000 jobs [2]

The City of London is home to 17,980 businesses [3], working across 8.7 million sq m of office space [4]

65% of City employees work for large companies [6] But 98.7% of City firms are SMEs, with fewer than 250 employees [7] 80% are micro businesses with fewer than 10 employees [8]

The Square Mile exerts a powerful draw for established and emerging firms: every year, a net average of 375 move into the City, bringing 7,000 new jobs [9]

“AS PROPERTY INVESTORS, WE ASK OURSELVES ‘WHERE IS THE GROWTH COMING FROM’? WE SEE THAT GROWTH IS IN THE TMT SECTOR AND IT IS HAPPENING NEARBY” [13]

“MEETING PEOPLE IS KEY TO OUR BUSINESS, THAT’S WHY WE’RE HERE” [19]

Three sectors comprise three-quarters of City jobs: Financial services 36% Professional services 26% Business support services 13% But technology, media and communications (TMT) now makes up 8% of the City’s workforce [10]

Since 2010, the number of jobs in TMT has grown by 55% , and between 2010 and 2014, 355 tech firms moved to the City [11]. In 2015, there were 1,009 new startups [12]

WHO WORKS IN THE CITY? City employees are young: 55% of the workforce is aged 25-39 [14] They’re well-educated, with two-thirds holding at least one degree And the median salary is £55,000 [15] – twice the UK average

SMEs AND THE CITY The City’s vibrant “business ecology” is one of its most compelling characteristics. Two-thirds of City SMEs trade with other City firms [17] Why do SMEs choose the Square Mile?[18] Proximity to clients and customers Easy access to good transport links Attractiveness to highly skilled staff: a city location is key to attracting the right talent for 81% of financial services firms, 90% of insurance firms and 92% of firms in the TMT sector

The City is the engine room of London [1], a dense, vibrant and constantly evolving place to do business. This hive of activity is anchored by an unrivalled concentration of expertise, from finance, professional services and law to the fast-growing fintech sector – a colocation that creates an irresistible momentum

Notes1 Inner London’s Economy: A ward-level analysis of the business and employment base, by Dmitry Sivaev, centreforcities.org2 Business Register and Employment Survey, 20163, 7, 8 ONS Business Activity, 20164 Offices in the City of London, City of London Corporation, 2016

5 Carolyn Dwyer, City of London Corporation, see page 206 ONS – Earning, Learning and Business Churning, 20159, 11 TBR data for the City of London 10 Business Register and Employment Survey 201512 Bank Search data for the City of London

Corporation, 2016

13, 18, 19 Clusters and Connectivity: The City as a Place for SMEs, cityoflondon.co.uk14, 16 2011 Census data15 ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 201617 City SME Supply Chains, cityoflondon.gov.uk

12%

6%

5%

3%

4%

One-third of the City workforce is from overseas: 12% come to the City from elsewhere in Europe, 6% from Asia, 5% from Africa, 4% from the US and 3% from Australia [16]

There is 1.25 million sq m of new grade A office space under construction – enough to accommodate 75,000 new City workers [5]

36%

21%

The City of London | The original co-working space 98

“THE CITY IS THE PERFECT MELTING POT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY, EXPERIENCE AND EAGER YOUNG TALENT”

“THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO, IT’S HARD TO

DO MORE THAN SCRAPE THE

SURFACE”

The traditional image of the City worker is changing. Drawn in by the architecture, the lifestyle and the dynamic business environment, a new breed is hitting the town

Daniel Gandesha Founder and CEO, Property PartnerProperty Partner has set out to shake up the traditional world of residential property investment with 21st-century technology. A combination of trading platform and property manager, it was created in 2015 and has already seen £50m invested through its platform from around 10,000 investors across more than 340 properties.

Why base Property Partner in the City?We are a cross-section of three business areas: technology, property and trading. The City represents all of these. It’s the perfect melting pot of new technology, experienced business people and eager young talent.

How does being in the City contribute to Property Partner’s success?The City’s crucial function is to concentrate a mix of people and businesses in one place, accelerating learning and the process of innovation. This is important for us because we are a unique company in a fast-paced sector. Innovation is our core strength and we need ready access to individuals and institutions that can offer advice as we navigate a very new business landscape.

What do you enjoy most about working in the City?It’s wonderful to work in proximity to places like St Paul’s Cathedral. At the same time, new companies, especially from the fintech sector, are popping up all over the area. And whether you want a traditional boozer or a trendy contemporary restaurant, there’s a huge choice of places to eat and drink.

Jason Grist UK area manager, Booking.comBooking.com is a world-leader in online travel, handling over 1.2 million room reservations each day. It started life as a pioneer dotcom in 1996 and is now part of US-based Priceline Group which boasts a market value of around $66bn. Its London office is the company’s main UK commercial base.

Why did Booking.com recently relocate to the City? We spent five years in our Holborn office and moved to the City in November 2016. The key attraction for us was the City’s exceptional transport links. It’s an ideal access point to the rest of London and the South-east. We have about 8,000 partners across this region and our London-based account managers regularly need to travel.

Have there been any unexpected benefits to a City office? We are a young office and it’s important that our staff feel motivated and enjoy their workplace. When we left Midtown for the City we hoped the area would be just as engaging.

It’s only been a few months but everyone here is impressed by the quality of the City’s offering in terms of workspace, networking, bars, restaurants and cultural events. There is so much to do it’s hard to do more than scrape the surface. I’ve enjoyed discovering historic gems like Leadenhall Market and the views from our office of iconic buildings such as the Gherkin and Walkie-Talkie.

The City of London | The original co-working space32 The City of London | The original co-working space 11

“DESOLATELY MUCH ACROSS HELLO EAGLE BUFFALO JEEPERS” Quoted here

Evi Peroulaki Co-founder, Souvlaki Street This pop-up market stall serves an authentic Athenian street-food experience to Londoners from markets in St Paul’s, Spitalfields, Broadgate and Farringdon. Evi Peroulaki and Conor Mills started the business in 2014 after getting frustrated that they couldn’t find a “proper” Greek wrap – souvlaki – anywhere in the capital.

Why hold most of your weekday stalls in the City?Restaurant and cafe standards are very high in the City. This level of competition means we always need to be on our toes, serving the best quality food possible. We love the challenge and it gives us huge satisfaction to see the same customers return. I’m impressed that busy City workers are prepared to queue for 15 minutes for our souvlaki.

What makes trading in the City so unique?There are so many kinds of people in this one tiny area. Our customers come from all round the world, from all walks of life. They are open-minded and happy to try new things. Lots are regulars and we get to know them.

It’s amazing too to work amid such grand architecture – old and new. It’s inspiring to see the dome of St Paul’s as you serve your customers. For our stall to become part of this landscape for a little while is something special. I love this feeling.

“FOR OUR STALL TO BECOME PART OF THIS LANDSCAPE FOR A LITTLE WHILE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL”

Simon Jordan Co-founder, Jump StudiosJump is a collective of architects, designers and makers challenging design orthodoxy for clients including Google, Nike and Rapha. Its work ranges from workspaces and retail interiors to brand experience and pop-up events.

Why base your business in the City?It feels as if the whole axis of London has shifted east, with the City and its immediate environs at the epicentre. The City’s reputation as an energetic, cosmopolitan district is an important aspect of our positioning as a world-class creative studio.

What inspires you about the City? On a personal level, the fact that my great-grandfather was a porter in Spitalfields and his father ran a coffee house by the Hawksmoor church on Commercial Street. On top of these layers of history, we see such a fantastic range of cultural and commercial experimentation; technology, fashion, food, art and music continue to evolve here, providing constant sources of inspiration.

What does the City offer that nowhere else does? The overlap of people. It forces different disciplines together which provides the perfect conditions for new ideas to ferment quickly; fashion designers share space with technologists, musicians with architects, entrepreneurs with chefs. I don’t think there’s anywhere in the world that has such a concentration of people connecting from so many disciplines and cultures.

Paddy Willis CEO, Bathtub 2 BoardroomA not-for-profit charity, Bathtub 2 Boardroom helps entrepreneurs turn dreams into reality. Founded in 2012 to act as an incubator for fledgling start-ups, it provides affordable office space in two central London “Tubs”. Its City Tub houses 100 companies.

Why did the charity choose to create a Tub in the City?We had outgrown a site at Bethnal Green and seized a chance to create a new Tub in the epicentre of the capital’s finance and business district. The young companies we work with were very supportive of the move; the City is a global centre of excellence for a wide range of sectors. Fintech is thriving here and with so many start-ups working in, or partnering with, this sector, the City was a good fit.

What makes the City feel different to other parts of the capital?The perfect blend of tradition and modern. It is telling that a 700-year-old City institution helped us to create our City Tub. The Mercers’ Company, the Premier Livery Company of the City of London, offered us space in a Grade II-listed building close to Bank station. The message from this ancient organisation was that new businesses are welcome to the City and have as much right to be here as the great powerhouses of the country’s economy.

The City of London | The original co-working space 13

1

WEWORK

1 FORE STREET, EC2Y

When it opened, this 167,000 sq ft office was the largest co-working space in the world! Breaking with traditional boundaries and norms, it has been a huge success, attracting hundreds of startups to the heart of the City.

2

ALPHABETA BUILDING

14-18 FINSBURY SQUARE, EC2A

This RIBA award-winning building, designed by Studio RHE, has set a benchmark in terms of repositioning a traditional office on the edge of the City, literally flipping it 180° so that the front door faces companies in the creative industries next door in Shoreditch. It seems to be working – occupiers include We Are Social, Silicon Valley Bank and Huckletree. It’s also London’s first cycle-in office, with a ramp from the lobby (above).

3

BLOOMBERG

3-5 QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, EC2R

Bloomberg merges finance, tech and data, so it could have gone anywhere in London. The fact that it decided to double-down in the City with this Foster + Partners building says it all. No expense has been spared, with meticulous designs throughout for employees’ wellbeing and productivity – not to mention one of the site’s previous occupants, the Roman Temple of Mithras, reconstructed beneath.

4

RIVER BUILDING

25 DOWGATE HILL, EC4R

Online food delivery company Deliveroo increased its footprint five-fold when it took over 50,000 sq ft at the River Building, recently refurbished to designs by Stiff + Trevillion. It’s a unique space in the heart of the City with large open-plan floors and incredible views – so it’s easy to see why this staple of the UK tech scene had no hesitation in snapping it up.

5

ROPEMAKER PLACE

28 ROPEMAKER STREET, EC2Y

A City bank doesn’t have to have a boring office – nor can it afford to these days. Macquarie understood this years ago. Its Ropemaker Place workspace, designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects, embraces modern working trends and understands the importance of fluidity within a building.

6

THE PEPPER STORE

11 DEVONSHIRE SQUARE, EC2M

Despite first impressions, the City isn’t all glass and steel. Devonshire Square is a collection of warehouses sympathetically brought into the 21st century by John Robertson Architects. The Pepper Store is a perfect example of combining character with modern finishes and services.

Spaces aren’t passive, believes Luke Appleby at City rental agency Kontor. They’re active contributors to what happens inside and around them, helping to improve performance and creativity. We challenged him to pick just six of the City’s most exciting workspaces

1 3 6

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The City of London | The original co-working space 15

In 2016, London City Airport was named “Best Regional Airport in the World” [2]. In 2017, construction began on a £344m expansion – by 2025, it will be able to serve 6.5 million annual passengers with an additional 29,000 flights a year

Check-in for 50 domestic, European and US destinations in just 20 minutes

Arrival, from tarmac to train, takes just 15 minutes [3]

8 minutes to St Pancras International station

1 hour to Luton Airport

1 hour to Stansted Airport

45 minutes to Heathrow Airport

47 minutes to Gatwick Airport

22 minutes to London City Airport

WHERE MONEY MEETS The UK accounts for 17% of international bank lending, more than any other centre [11]. London is home to 250 foreign banks [12] The UK’s insurance industry is concentrated in the City’s EC3 postcode – it is the largest in Europe and the third largest globally [13]. The unique Lloyd’s insurance market was established 329 years ago. Today it is made up of more than 50 leading insurance companies, 255 brokers and a global network of 4,252 local coverholders [14]

The London Stock Exchange has more foreign listings than any other exchange – 518, or one-fifth of global foreign stock market listings [15] 15% of the global total of bonds are issued in London [16] 70% of the world’s secondary bond market is traded through London [17]

The UK is a global centre for Islamic finance, ranked more highly than any non-Muslim-majority country [18]

HEADING IN OUR DIRECTION … When fully operational in 2019, the £14.8bn Crossrail link will bring an additional 320,000 people within a 30-minute commute of the City [4]. Farringdon will become of the UK’s busiest transport exchanges, with 140 trains per hour [5]

A GATEWAY TO THE REST OF THE UK There are six mainline rail stations within the City boundary, and two more just outside. From Bank, all of London’s major rail terminuses are within a short tube ride

EVEN FASTER VIRTUAL NETWORKS… The City provides seamless digital connectivity for 24/7 businesses

The City of London is the beating heart of a world city, and the centre of a dynamic network of commerce, trade and capital. It’s where businesses enjoy unparalleled accessibility to destinations near and far, high-speed digital connectivity and access to global markets – all within a compact, walkable area

Notes1 2016 Global Connectivity Ranking, rome2rio.com2 Centre for Aviation (CAPA)3 londoncityairport.com4, 5 The Impact of Crossrail briefing paper, cityoflondon.gov.uk6 Transport for London RODs Report 37, 8, 10 City of London Corporation

9 WiredScore11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17 Key Facts about the UK as an International Financial Centre, thecityuk.com14 lloyds.com18 ICD Thomson Reuters Islamic Finance Development Report

There are nine underground stations within the City served by eight tube lines. On an average weekday, nearly 400,000 people end their tube journeys in the City [6]

FROM BANK STATION TO THE WORLD

London is the world’s most connected city, with direct flights to 351 international destinations [1]

1hr

4 minutes to Waterloo

8 minutes to King’s Cross St Pancras

10 minutes to London Euston

18 minutes to Marylebone

23 minutes to Paddington

10 top-level fibre providers, offering unparalleled network resilience for businesses in the City [7]

Gigabit fibre broadband is being implemented throughout the City

Free and unlimited public-access gigabit wifi at street level from June 2017 [8]

Advanced “mesh” network means wider coverage and no need to stand still near to a hotspot

More buildings in the City have achieved WiredScore certification than anywhere else in the UK [9]

2020: the City of London will be an early adopter of the 5G mobile network [10]

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners’ office / Leadenhall Building

18 19The City of London | The original co-working spaceThe City of London | The original co-working space

Eugen Miropolski Managing director for Europe & Israel, WeWork“The City of London is a business hub in the heart of London, and at the same time a gateway to Europe and the rest of the world. You get a scale in the City that you wouldn’t get anywhere else. We opened the largest collaborative workspace in the world at Moorgate – that speaks for itself. We see a lot of different types of businesses there – financial services, creative companies, media agencies and everybody coming together in the same place. Because you have this mix, you get a unique type of collaboration. At the beginning, we had a lot of financial services companies, then a lot of startups, but now we see a lot of large corporations like IBM or Barclays joining that community.”

Graham Stirk Senior partner, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners“It’s inspiring being in the City, right in the middle of this most urban place. Working in a building that you have designed is a unique and privileged experience – it’s a great motivator. It gives us the chance to show our clients how much we can do in this kind of environment. I also love the sense of history, and being able to see its evolution all around. People always want to visit us now we’re in this office – they’re excited to come to the City and look out at the view as it changes all the time. It’s definitely the right place for us to be located.”

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4

2

1

2

3

1

4

5

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Sharon Ament Director, Museum of London “The City is a place of massive ambition, and it has the wherewithal to make that ambition a reality. There’s a combination of deep-rooted history and future vision. It is entirely global in its outlook, not just in its approach to finance but also to culture. From its Roman beginnings, people from all over the world have played a role in the City and their names can still be found on its streets. You hear so many languages spoken as you walk around, and that contribution from international interests makes this a very exciting place to be.”

5

Tom Sleigh UK country manager, Deposit Solutions “The City is a very lively, rich place to work and the cultural mix is incredible – there’s green space and places like the Barbican are a huge draw. It feels like it’s really booming. There are cranes everywhere, Crossrail’s coming and there’s a lot of energy. The mix of business types is inspiring too. It’s becoming a centre of excellence for technology and for startups of all kinds. Then there are all of the ancillary, creative services that you need to make an ecosystem for business to thrive. Being in the middle of that is what’s most exciting for us.”

6 Shirine Khoury-Haq Chief operating officer, Lloyd’s of London“The City is the financial centre of the world. It’s where the exciting things happen, where the best people work, where the best companies are located, where the most exciting projects are. It’s a good place for me to base myself in terms of career, but also in terms of family. There’s so much culture and internationalism. When I married my husband we were living in the US, and the deal was that I’d come here for two years and then we’d move back. That was 16 years ago. I absolutely love this place. Everything you could want is here.”

7 Cevat Riza Co-owner, Zebrano“We started Zebrano in Soho, but we opened a bar in the City last year. It’s something very different – we consider it a living, working art installation. The cost of being here is 25% of the West End, so you have a lot more freedom to experiment. In the West End you have to be successful immediately, here you’ve got more time to adapt to your surroundings and react to what customers want. The City has changed so much. It used to be dead at weekends and evenings. Now it’s far more like New York, it’s getting more residential and there are more and more cool people who want places to go out.”

8

Anne Richards CEO, M&G Investments“I’m not a Londoner or even a city girl at heart, and when you walk around the City, the pace and the sense of focus and urgency can be quite intimidating. But it quickly becomes immensely energising. You’ve got hundreds of years of history, juxtaposed with the most extraordinary modern architecture and high technology. It’s this contrast, the ability to reinvent itself, that makes it such a stimulating environment. There’s also an openness to new ideas. Creativity breeds creativity. One of the things I really treasure is the depth and diversity of talent – we’ve got about 2,000 staff, from at least 26 nationalities.”

9

A restauranteur, a museum director, an investor, an insurer, an art curator, a co-working pioneer and a fintech entrepreneur walk into an architect’s office … How the City is still connecting people after 350 years

Stella Ioannou, Co-director, Sculpture in the City See interview, page 30

Ivan Harbour Senior partner, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners See interview, page 26

The City of London | The original co-working space20 21The City of London | The original co-working space

The City of London is the centre of the global financial industry –

and much more. It’s a hub for a host of related professional services, including the world’s most trusted legal system, a magnet for creative and tech businesses, and it’s vital to the success of London as a whole. The Square Mile is the umbilical link between the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, the chosen base for companies with offices spanning the globe.

The City of London Corporation is responsible for managing that success. We deliver the quality of environment that businesses need, the connectivity and infrastructure they rely on, and the culture and leisure choices that make a destination so compelling to global talent.

We take an innovative approach to derive every bit of value from our compact district – from planning the expansion of the eastern cluster of towers, to enhancing our wealth of open spaces, to finding new uses for heritage buildings that preserve their unrivalled authenticity and character.

THE PERFECT ADDRESS FOR 21st-CENTURY BUSINESSAs businesses and ambitious individuals continue to flock to the City, we make sure they can find the space they need to work, think, connect and play. The City of London Corporation sets a high benchmark for new development – we know that world-class businesses need innovative, stimulating workspaces, and a diverse and changing mix of amenities nearby.

Wellbeing is becoming a key priority for employers, so the City places great importance on features such as fresh air ventilation and acoustic

comfort. And the City’s business ecosystem is changing too, with a growing number of startups and SMEs occupying new types of workspace – including the largest co-working space in the world, at WeWork in Moorgate. Our City Property Advisory Team provides a unique free search service for businesses of all sizes, helping them find the premises they need.

SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE VIEWThe City has more than 100 open spaces, from its many hidden historic churchyards to the River Thames itself. We want them all to play their part in this thriving urban centre: wherever possible, we’ll be greening them, providing seating and making sure that they’re accessible and connected. Last year, we improved 5,000 sq m of public realm.

And we’re taking every opportunity to increase the public space that the City offers – whether at ground level or at the top of tall buildings. When the Thames Tideway tunnel is complete, it will create a major space right on the river, able to hold 1,800 people standing or 400 sitting. We’ve secured that through the planning system and now we’re working to make sure it will be accessible, properly designed and well-used.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR Air quality is crucial to quality of life. The City of London continually monitors its air and has an ongoing programme to reduce emissions in the Square Mile.

Our strategy is to reduce the amount of traffic coming into the City, to spread it over a longer time period and to manage it better while it’s there. We are encouraging the use of consolidation centres to cut the

The City is a world-leading destination for businesses,

workers and visitors alike – and the City of London Corporation

is determined to keep it that way. Director of built environment

Carolyn Dwyer explains how it is ensuring that the City remains an

unrivalled place to work, think, connect and play

There is 1.25 million sq m of grade A office space under construction. In 2016, the City granted planning permission for a further 309,000 sq m at 22 Bishopsgate, 1 Undershaft, 2-3 Finsbury Avenue and 60 London Wall

About 2,250 City businesses and 18,000 employees now work in shared spaces and serviced offices. 70% of these businesses are SMEs. This kind of space has grown by almost 50% since 2010

60 Carter Lane is the first WELL-certified building in the City – and one of only four in the world to date

The City hosts the Innovation Warehouse incubator in its office space above Smithfield Market

“WE WORK HARD TO DERIVE EVERY BIT OF VALUE FROM OUR COMPACT DISTRICT”

22 23The City of London | The original co-working spaceThe City of London | The original co-working space

number of freight vehicles, and we are continually reviewing the provision of space for pedestrians and cyclists, and returning surplus road space to the public realm.

We are establishing a low-emissions neighbourhood in the Barbican, Guildhall and Barts area by the start of 2019. The £2m proposals include infrastructure for charging electric vehicles, green taxi ranks and restricted access to all but the cleanest cars. The measures that work best will be rolled out across the City.

Major improvements are under way across the City. At Aldgate we are introducing a green space with 71 new trees, grass areas and play space.

A SMART CITY IN EVERY SENSEWe’re constantly exploring the latest technologies to understand not only what they can do, but how we can use them to respond to the challenges and opportunities that the Square Mile faces. To that end, we’re using the City’s enormous intellectual capital to develop truly smart solutions. We are supporting the roll-out of fast, high-capacity fibre, working in partnership with network providers to ensure that every business can access the connectivity they need.

The City has always been a place of reinvention, responding to challenges from the Great Fire to the Big Bang. Whatever the future holds, we will remain one step ahead. We are creating a groundbreaking 3D model of the City to identify capacity much more accurately, as well as comfort factors such as noise and wind. That information will support our planning, to ensure that there is always capacity for new development.

As a vital player in the global financial system, we are ever conscious of the need to manage the physical and

cyber risks of today’s world. We are constantly reviewing our approach to security, to reflect the pace of development in the City and the evolution of the built environment. We are also researching the use of drones, robots, driverless vehicles and smart energy systems.

A GLOBAL CITY WITHIN A CITYThe City’s international outlook is one of its defining characteristics. A centre for trade and commerce for more than 1,000 years, it functions as a bridge between a global city and the rest of the world. We are constantly learning from the success of other cities, taking best practice from around the world, and we run an extensive programme of events and visits to reinforce the City’s position as a destination of choice for business and capital.

The City of London Corporation is also the fourth-largest funder of the arts in the UK, and we are proud to use our resources to promote the many cultural activities that take place in the Square Mile. The Barbican Centre, Museum of London and Guildhall School of Music and Drama are world-class cultural destinations, and we’re going to enhance the public realm between them to connect them and create a “cultural hub”. Improving the look and feel of our cultural quarter will encourage smaller, complementary cultural uses and a wider range of food and drink choices to make the City even more vibrant.

No global business centre can rival London for the richness and variety of its historic fabric – and the best way to preserve that fabric is to make it relevant to the 21st century. When the Museum of London moves to the abandoned general market at Smithfield, it will not only create a much expanded home for its collection and allow visitor numbers to more than double, but give a new lease of life to a monumental work of Victorian engineering.

“WHATEVER THE FUTURE HOLDS, WE WILL REMAIN ONE STEP AHEAD”

The City of London Police is the UK’s centre of expertise on cyber-security

The City funds and manages offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Mumbai, and regularly host delegations from around the world to increase bilateral trade and investment

The Lord Mayor is the City’s dedicated ambassador, travelling extensively throughout the world to promote its markets and services

The City has stepped in to plug a gap in funding for a new world-class concert hall for the London Symphony Orchestra, investing up to £2.5m in a detailed business case

There are now 34 hotels in the City – 19 of them opened since 2011 – providing 5,134 bedrooms. A further 1,912 rooms are under construction

There is 53,200 sq m of green roof space in the City

The Sky Garden at the top of the “Walkie-Talkie” has welcomed 1 million visitors since it opened in 2015

Gigabit fibre broadband is being implemented throughout the Square Mile, and the City will be an early adopter of the 5G mobile network by 2020

The City Property Advisory Team’s free services help businesses not only to find office space in the City but also to get connected to affordable fibre

25The City of London | The original co-working space

Broadgate TowerSkidmore, Owings & Merrill, 2008

Lloyd’s BuildingRichard Rogers Partnership, 1986

Heron TowerKohn Pedersen Fox, 2011

Willis BuildingFoster + Partners, 2008

New CourtOMA, 2010

Tower 42Richard Seiffert, 1980

20 Gracechurch StreetGMW Architects, 1992

St Michael, Cornhill

Christopher Wren, 1722

St Mary le BowChristopher Wren, 1670-80

Angel CourtFletcher Priest, completes 2017

Bank of EnglandHerbert Baker,

1939

Royal ExchangeWilliam Tite, 1844

Leadenhall BuildingRogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, 2015

St Mary AxeFoster + Partners, 2004

20 Fenchurch Street Rafael Viñoly, 2014

St Mary WoolnothNicholas Hawksmoor, 1727

Mansion HouseGeorge Dance the Elder, 1752

The WallbrookFoster + Partners,

2009

The City | London’s original co-workings space The City of London | The original co-working space 27

You designed the Leadenhall Building as a speculative office tower for British Land. How come you ended up moving in yourselves? JM Our lease in Hammersmith was coming to an end and we’d been hunting around for a new space. We were looking for about 20,000 sq ft on a single floor, which is obviously a huge space, and very hard to find in somewhere like Shoreditch or Soho. This was the only opportunity where we could all be on one floor and truly have that studio vibe, which I don’t think we ever really had before.

What are the advantages for an architectural practice?JM One of the great things is we’re within a three or four minute walk of four Tube stations and a couple of mainline stations. In Hammersmith we were about a 10-minute walk from the Tube, and it was only one line.

One of the things we need to do as a practice is collect great talent, and I think graduates these days are a bit more discerning than my generation was. They think: where am I going to live, where am I going to work, what’s my lifestyle going to be? And when you step outside the door here, morning, noon or evening, it’s really vibrant, it’s alive. You come in, and even if you’re feeling a bit tired, you can’t help but feed off the energy.

What’s special about the Leadenhall Building?JM I think the huge open piazza, which will link through to St Helen’s Square eventually. I love rocking up and being able to walk entirely underneath the building. That was a discussion that came out through planning where the City of London said, “Wouldn’t it be great if you could walk under the lifts”, so we pulled the lifts up three levels.

Your practice was behind one of the City’s greatest icons, the Lloyd’s Building. How has the City changed in the 30 years since that was built? IH It’s a completely different place, it really is. When we were doing Lloyd’s,

you would come to a site meeting and you’d disappear off down some basement port-and-ham place and reappear at 5 o’clock. Now there’s a lot of activity that isn’t just around “the suit”. The banking halls now are beer halls. There’s a nightclub round the corner that my kids have been to.

What is your favourite building in the City?IH As a bit of city, it’s fascinating – the alleyways, the churchyards, the street names, they all have great history. I like Hawksmoor’s Christ Church Spitalfields, that’s fantastic. I like the Barbican. It’s of its time – I like the single-mindedness of it. I even like 1 Poultry although it’s not my usual cup of tea. There’s something bizarre and bonkers about it.

Food has always played a key role in your practice – your old studio was next door to the River Cafe, run by Richard Rogers’ wife, Ruth. Where’s good to eat near your new office? JM There are some great places. There’s a lovely little French brasserie in Leadenhall Market on the first floor called Luc’s. You hardly see it, it’s just a door and a little sign, but you go upstairs and there’s this enormous restaurant.

How else do you like to spend time in the City?IH Quite often my wife will come down and we’ll go to dinner. There’s something rather nice about the fact that it does get a lot of tourists, but not like the West End gets. It does have extended hours, but not as extended as the West End.

JM Me and my wife sometimes come in at the weekend to show the office off to our friends and family. That’s kind of bizarre – when you visit other people they very rarely say “shall we go and have a look at our office?”. But we’ll come up here and enjoy the views, then go to one of the old pubs. It’s the complete opposite – this brand-new steel skyscraper, and then these little mahogany snugs with rickety old tables …

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners is one the UK’s most celebrated architects, having designed award-winning buildings around the world from its west London studio for more than 20 years. So why has it moved to the heart of the City? Partners John McElgunn and Ivan Harbour explain

“THERE’S A NIGHTCLUB ROUND THE CORNER THAT MY KIDS HAVE BEEN TO”

The City of London | The original co-working spaceThe City of London | The original co-working space 2928

The City is the ancient core of the world’s favourite historic city, drawing millions of visitors with its unique combination of authenticity, heritage and innovation. It’s where history and modernity jostle for space, while a constantly changing cast of food, arts and entertainment fills the gaps in between. Whether you live here, work here or just return again and again, you’ll never find yourself in the same place twice

Notes1 After the government, the BBC and the Heritage Lottery Fund2, 5,8 barbican.org.uk/seasonreview3 Classical music 2016-17, concert listings, barbican.org.uk4 museumoflondon.org.uk/ collections

6 Carolyn Dwyer, City of London Corporation, see page 209, 10 timeout.com11 Food Standards Agency12 City of London local plan13 The City Churches of Sir Christopher Wren, by Paul Jeffery14 City of London Corporation

WORLD-CLASS VENUES From its Roman amphitheatre to the world-class Barbican Centre, the City has been a destination for the arts since 43 AD. Today, the City of London Corporation is the fourth largest funder of arts in the UK [1]. The Barbican is Europe’s largest multi-arts and conference venue, with a world-class programme of art, music, theatre, dance, film and learning events throughout the year. It’s also an architectural icon in its own right. During its 2015/16 season, there were 3,910 events [2]. The London Symphony Orchestra performs 70 concerts there every year [3]. The Museum of London, meanwhile, has more than 6 million objects, stretching back to Londinium’s earliest days, making it the world’s largest urban history collection. And there are also extensive remains of the Roman city preserved throughout the Square Mile. In 2016, Sculpture in the City featured 17 artworks in 20 locations – publicly displaying an estimated £7.5m worth of art.

FOOD, DRINK AND SHOPPING There are hundreds of restaurants and bars in the Square Mile. The Guildhall Yard lunch market features more than 20 stalls regularly serving food from around the world. Many of the City’s pubs date from the 17th century, and some can trace their roots back even further. Cheapside, meanwhile, has been one of London’s most prestigious shopping streets for more than a millennium. But there are plenty of new places too. In 2017, eight independent restaurants will open at the Ned Hotel, while Bloomberg, by Foster + Partners, will offer 10 more.

THE HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE … IN ONE SQUARE MILE The City is home to some of the world’s most striking historic and contemporary architecture. Many of its buildings have won architectural awards, from the Lloyd’s Building by Richard Rogers and Partners, to 30 St Mary Axe by Foster + Partners – more usually known as “the Gherkin” – to Bennetts Associates’ super-sustainable New Street Square. There are 21 buildings over 100m in the City, six under construction and two more planned [14]. Half of its office space has been redeveloped or refurbished since 1990 – an area three times larger than the entire Canary Wharf estate.

47,000 [4]

Roman artefacts in the Museum of London

4,000 [6]

hotel beds in the City 630 LISTED BUILDINGS [12]

23 CHURCHES BY CHRISTOPHER WREN

[13]

21 BUILDINGS OVER 100m

1.1 million

1 million

210,000

482

bicycles in the 2016 London Nocturne night-time race

1,974 years since the first Roman amphitheatre

802 years since the first Lord Mayor’s show

365 years since Jamaica Wine House, London’s oldest coffee house, was built [9]

350 years since The Olde Cheshire Cheese pub was built [10]

1,000 years of shopping in Cheapside

47,500 [5]

ice creams sold during Barbican events in 2015/16

people attended Barbican events in 2015/16 [7]

are expected to visit the City’s new “Cultural Hub”

people visited the Barbican’s galleries [8]

800 restaurants795 licensed premises

252 licensed after midnight [11]

6 Michelin-starred restaurants

… IN OBJECTS

… IN VISITORS

The City of London | The original co-working space 31

What is Sculpture in the City?It’s an annual sculpture exhibition that aims to shift people’s perception of space in the City. The event was meant to be a one- off project back in 2011, but when the first exhibition managed to secure work by artists like Anish Kapoor and Julian Opie we knew it was something very special.

Support for the event from the public and businesses has grown each year and we’ve continued to secure works from renowned artists, as well as rising stars. Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin are just a few of the names on the exhibition’s roll list of contributors. 2016’s event sited 17 artworks in 20 locations around the City – in 2011 we exhibited four.

Why base the exhibition in the City?The City of London Corporation asked businesses what enhancements they would like to see made to the public realm. A number of businesses challenged it to install contemporary artworks to the area with the aim of animating the environment and adding colour and texture to the City’s streetscapes.

As project curator, what are you looking for in the works that you select?In the early days, we primarily looked for large artworks that would hold their own against a backdrop of high-rise buildings. Ai Weiwei’s sculpture “Forever” used 1,264

bicycles and was exhibited in 2015 in front of the Gherkin. But we know small can work too. In 2016, we featured a series of delicate lead paper chains by Lizi Sánchez. They challenge visitors to observe the details of their surroundings.

What benefits has the project brought to the City?The exhibition humanises its public realm. There are a lot of grey surfaces in the City and these artworks add colour and the element of surprise. They stop people in their tracks and inspire random conversations. Many of the works are tactile and it’s wonderful to see children explore them – in some cases they are even allowed to climb on them! Workers get attached to the pieces – I’m regularly asked by people to leave a sculpture in situ!

Could this project work as well in other parts of London?Around 95% of these artworks have been exhibited in public before. The City offers a new reading of the sculptures because of its context of bold, contemporary architecture and very beautiful historic features such as the area’s jewel-like churches.

The pace of business and life in the City means the area is constantly evolving, and each year the exhibition feels different. Our aim is to continue bringing this sense of excitement to the City, building on its unique and dynamic character.

“AI WEIWEI’S SCULPTURE ‘FOREVER’ USED 1,264 BICYCLES AND WAS EXHIBITED IN FRONT OF THE GHERKIN. BUT SMALL CAN WORK TOO”

“THE ARTWORKS STOP PEOPLE IN THEIR TRACKS”

Over the past five years, the City has provided the backdrop for some of the world’s leading artists. Stella Ioannou, co-director of Sculpture in the City, explains why the annual event continues to grow

Sculpture, opposite “Aurora” by Anthony Caro, outside the Willis Building

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