Once the cranes have gone, what will the new 'steady state' be for Cambridge?

If you've not been to Cambridge for a while, one of the first things to strike you when you arrive by car or train is the skyline defined by cranes. This is one of the most visible indications of the growth of the technology cluster, driven by demand from firms of all sizes for commercial/R&D space, along with the linked need for residential accommodation across the price range.  Carter Jonas have published their latest report on commercial property in Cambridge, which provides a useful summary of the scale, availability and costs of space now and in the near future.  Cambridge also recently made the national news when it was noted that house price rises in Cambridge were the highest in the country.

These figures are fuelling the debate on whether there are limits to the growth of the technology cluster: at what point could a tipping point be reached whereby the quality of life that attract people to Cambridge starts to be diminished by impact of congestion and rising costs? It will be interesting to see how the cluster adapts and reaches a new steady-state once major developments such as CB1, North West Cambridge, and the Biomedical Campus are all completed.