The built environment is already the UK’s largest economic sector—yet it remains largely invisible in national economic policy. London’s built environment sector is one of the UK’s most powerful—yet consistently underestimated—drivers of economic growth.

The NLA’s previous research showed the sector contributes £568 billion to national GVA—almost a quarter of the UK economy—and supports 3.8 million jobs, or one in eight across the country. By comparison, Finance and Insurance contributes £214 billion to national GVA.

Yet despite being collectively far larger, the built environment is still rarely recognised as a single, strategic sector within government economic strategy.

This report makes the case for change.

Connected Capital shows that the built environment is not simply an enabler of growth for other industries, but a globally traded, high-value growth sector in its own right. In 2023, UK built environment industries exported more than £168 billion of goods and services—around one fifth of all UK exports. That exceeds exports from Finance and Insurance, which generate around £120 billion annually.

Demand will only grow. The world’s urban population stood at 2.3 billion in 1980 and is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2080. The need to plan, finance, design and deliver sustainable cities and infrastructure will shape global economic development for decades—and the UK is uniquely positioned to lead that transition.

These figures place the built environment among the UK’s most internationally competitive industries, yet it still lacks equivalent strategic recognition.

London sits at the heart of this success. It is a global hub for citymaking expertise and a gateway through which capital, talent, and ideas flow into the UK and out to the world. Firms based here deliver complex projects across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia, drawing on experience developed in one of the world’s most demanding urban environments. From regeneration and infrastructure to sustainability and low-carbon transition, London has become a proving ground for solutions now exported worldwide.

And this international success strengthens the whole country.

Regional centres across the UK host world-class expertise, while London connects that capability to global clients and capital. Investment, skills development, and supply-chain activity generated through London projects support jobs and productivity across the UK. This is not a zerosum relationship. It is mutually reinforcing. Yet, the sector still lacks a clear champion in government.

Responsibility remains fragmented, and the built environment is too often treated as disconnected industries rather than a single strategic whole. At a time when ambitions for growth, housing delivery, infrastructure renewal, and net zero all depend on this sector, that disconnect is no longer sustainable.

The NLA is calling for government to recognise the built environment as one sector—collectively the largest contributor to the UK economy and central to national growth and prosperity. Recognising it within the Industrial Strategy as an additional growth sector would unlock the sector’s full potential, enabling clearer leadership, stronger coordination across government and more effective support for firms competing internationally.

This publication sits at the heart of the NLA’s Built World Exchange network. Through research, convening, international engagement and advocacy, we are strengthening London’s global networks and championing the expertise that allows UK firms to succeed at home and abroad. From The London Centre to our programme of international partnerships—and the launch of the Built World Summit at Guildhall in 2026—we are committed to making the sector’s contribution visible and valued.

London has the expertise, talent, and global reach to help shape the cities of the future. The challenge now is not capability, but recognition and action. If the UK is serious about growth, resilience and long-term prosperity, the built environment can no longer remain hidden in plain sight. It must be placed where it belongs—at the centre of the nation’s economic strategy.

Nick McKeogh
Chief Executive, NLA