Building magazine is 180 years old this year. What lessons about the built environment should we take from the past?

Some of the most inspiring learnings we can take come from that group of Victorian philanthropic pioneers who genuinely tried to benefit wider society through their work, people who saw the value of an approach that combines profit with purpose in a meaningful way. They understood that when we invest in infrastructure, we create growth and improve the health and wealth of the whole nation.

The towns of Port Sunlight on Merseyside and Bournville in the West Midlands were built by Lever Brothers and the Cadbury family respectively, to provide high quality accommodation for employees. We can learn so much from those early benefactors. Another good example is the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which conducts, and funds research aimed at solving poverty in the UK.