I agree, but I wonder about the subtle effects of so many old buildings have on the psychology of a place.
Old buildings and a place with a long past (which in North America means hundreds of years) is probably great for the idea industry, as new ideas are built on top of older ideas, recursively. Having architecture around with a long history brings attention to this longer timespan, and provides the necessary perspective.
But for startups, it sometimes seems to me that the "blank slate" aspect of much of Silicon Valley encourages focus on the new and the future, which is pretty much what one wants in the startup space, as opposed to the idea space.
Old buildings and a place with a long past (which in North America means hundreds of years) is probably great for the idea industry, as new ideas are built on top of older ideas, recursively. Having architecture around with a long history brings attention to this longer timespan, and provides the necessary perspective.
But for startups, it sometimes seems to me that the "blank slate" aspect of much of Silicon Valley encourages focus on the new and the future, which is pretty much what one wants in the startup space, as opposed to the idea space.