Bristol, England (2024)

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Candidate Overview 

Bristol is the uncontested regional capital of the South-West. The administrative area of Bristol City Council covers around 42 square miles and the city has a population of just over 480,000. The population of the city is predicted to grow by 78,000 to 80,000 over the next 20 years. This scale of anticipated growth within a highly constrained city will result in significant challenges. The Council has managed to hold on to significant land holdings (40%) but, despite this, developable land is in short supply.

The city is home to two universities and has a diverse economy which includes life sciences, fin-tech, creative industries, and aerospace amongst others. Despite the strong economy there remain large pockets of the city which are poorly connected and deprived.

The City recognises both the opportunities and challenges that it is presented with and its collaborative Bristol One City Approach to policy, innovation, management, and delivery is helping it meet these in an open and inclusive manner.

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Thumbnail illustration of Bristol by David Rudlin AoU, Artist-in-Residence