These words of a development manager of the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) marked the opening of the third phase of a ￡750 million inner-city development project aimed at transforming parts of Bristol's city centre into a thriving office district. Indeed, considering Bristol's population dynamic and economic history, these ambitions seem to correspond with the economic legacies that have emerged in Bristol over a long time. With a population of 416,400 people, Bristol is the largest city in the South West and one of the eight ‘core’ cities in England outside London (BCC, 2009c). Due to its growing service economy and strategic location to important traffic nodes, studies forecast an increase in net migration and the population reaching 520,000 people in 2026 (BCC, 2009c).

The population dynamic stands in direct relation to Bristol's former economic development. Historical records show that Bristol's location on the River Avon, beginning from early settlement in the 11th century, played a significant role in the economic activity that shaped the face of the city. Trade links between manufacturers of wool, sugar, cloth, tobacco and glass and overseas markets were established, which underlined the early importance of Bristol as a hub for cross-national trade links. A milestone in this international trade was reached in Bristol with its short-lived but leading role as England's central port in the triangular, intercontinental slave trade in the early 16th century.

After a period of boom and decline in the 19th century in which local merchants desperately tried to prevent a transition from trade to an industrial system, in 1901, Bristol attracted an industrial sector – aircraft design and production – which would soon become a symbol for Bristol's economy. Located in the north of Bristol around the airfield, this production site attracted major investments for commercial and military products and created a distinct spatial pattern in Bristol's economy and urban fabric between the north/west, with its high concentration of firms, and the south/east, mainly dominated by residential areas.