Impacts of Regeneration Effort and Future Challenges and Prospect in Manchester UK - Term Paper Example

Impacts of Regeneration Effort and Future Challenges and Prospect in Manchester UK Background Manchester is one of the first industrial cities in theworld dating back to the Roman period (DIxon and Otsuka 2010, p.58). The City has had faced a number of challenges in the past before becoming a provincial city and its subsequent growth during 1750-1850. It is reported that Manchester became a global center of the cotton trade in the early 19th century from which it was aliased ‘Connopolis (Allmendingerand White 2003, p.954). The growth of Manchester during the 19th century was mainly based on the manufacturing sectors that were communing up due to the emergence of industrialization. Additionally, the growth was reverberated by warehousing and commercial sectors in the city such as the growth in banking and other financial sectors (Carpenter 2005). Manchester continued to experience faster growth and soon became the ninth largest city globally by the turn of 20th century. Today, Manchester is ranked third largest city in the U.K. with a population of about half a million according to 2007 census report. In addition, the GaWC also describe Manchester is as a ‘gamma’ city (CLG 2005, p.21). The city of Manchester is situated within one of the largest metropolitan in the U.K. Currently; the greater Manchester city is regarded as the key driver of U.K’s economic growth. For instance, DIxon and Otsuka (2010, p.59) reveal that Manchester city region is the principal driver of economic growth of the entire Northwest, a region that houses more than 3 million people (Cochrane 2007, p.6). In addition, Manchester city region produces over 50% of the economic output of Northwest and is continually developing as a major center of industries (Ixon and Adams 2008, p.115). The growth and developments witnessed in Manchester region has mainly been attributed to the regeneration plan that had been initiated by the government in partnership with other stakeholders in the country. Impacts of regeneration effort on Manchester As earlier stated, Manchester had undergone a lot of challenges in the past before emerging becoming the third largest and most admired city in the U.K. This is because initially Manchester had very poor infrastructural facilities, poor water and sewerage systems, environmental pollution, lack of jobs and high poverty levels among others. However, most of these problems have been solved, thanks to the regeneration program introduced by the government of U.K. in the late 1980s (AGMA 2009). DIxon (2010) notes that research on the regeneration plan on Manchester began way back in the late 1980s and towards the beginning of 1990s in which the government in conjunction with the city council developed an active regeneration plan based on the Central Manchester Development Corporation (CMDC) (Cadell, Falk and King 2008, p.42). The program brought government agencies, local government, as well as private sectors together with the aim of finding a solution to the problems that the city of Manchester was facing. This led to the development of the so-called ‘Manchester model’ of regeneration, which later culminated in the successful regeneration of Hulme on the southern part of the city (Cadell, Falk, and King 2008, p.42). Following continuous decline of the city, Manchester city center has also undergone thorough regeneration and re-development over the last two decades. The regeneration of the city center was particularly reverberated following the Real IRA bomb of 1996 and the successful hosting of the Commonwealth games in 2002, according to DEFRA (2005). The regeneration has brought many changes in the city of Manchester. Most evidently, the regeneration of the city of Manchester has helped open up the city for investments (Imrieand Raco 2003). This is because since the regeneration program began, there has been significant improvement of the city’s infrastructural facilities such as roads, commercial properties, and security in the city (EIUA 2006, p.18). This has indeed transformed Manchester as one of the most attracting investments cities in the U.K. This can be seen from both local and international investors that have invested in the city over the last decades following the regeneration initiatives in the city. For instance, report indicates that Manchester is currently the main economic driver of the Northwestern region contributing over 50% of its economic output (EIUA 2006, p.18). This was not possible before opening up of the city through regeneration programs. The improvement of the infrastructural facilities through the regeneration program has also transformed Manchester to be one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world (Binsted and Otsuka2010). It is reported that Manchester city initially used to receive very few tourists because the city was very dirty, with poor water and sewerage systems, as well as the fact that the city had poor roads. However, following the regeneration initiative, the City of Manchester has become a very attractive tourist destination for both local and international tourists (Ixon and Adams 2008, p.115). In fact, it is projected that the city of Manchester may soon supers London as the most preferred tourist destination in the U.K. The regeneration program has also improved the status of the city residents from a working class to middle class. DIxon and Otsuka (2010, p.59) reveal that Manchester city used to be a city of the working class, with a majority leaving in the sprawling slums. This is because the city had many people with no jobs and the few that had jobs were very poorly paid (Carpenter 2009, p.3). However, with the regeneration plan, the government in conjunction with the local government and other stakeholders focused on job creation in the city (Bradbury and Mawson 2006, p.22). This has so far helped alleviate poverty, a move that has completely transformed Manchester from a working household to middle-class. This has also helped in reducing crime rates in the city significantly. In fact, report indicates that Manchester is currently among the safest cities in the world, as it has not experienced any major security issue since the 1996 Real IRA bomb (Colantonio and DIxon 2010, p.24). The regeneration program has also helped in cleaning up of the city. Research indicates that the city of Manchester has since emerged as one of the cleanest city in the world (CLG 2004, p.13). This is because the regeneration program resulted in the enactment of laws aimed at making the city clean to attract investment (Blowfield and Murray 2008, p.13). This led to the cleanup of sewerage systems, which used to be a menace in the past. Greenhouse population has also been a major concern in the world today (Barlow et al. 2003, p.135). This is because of global warming, which has mainly been blamed on greenhouse emissions. However, the regeneration initiative has helped in reducing the greenhouse emissions in the city of Manchester a move that has been lauded by world leaders and environmentalists. Future challenges and prospect in Manchester The regeneration program initiated in Manchester has indeed brought many benefits to the city of Manchester and its surrounding. However, the city is still bound to experience some challenges in the future if proper measures are not taken now. For instance, the city is likely to face housing shortage in the near future (Ixon and Adams 2008, p.116). This is because the population of the city has been increasing at an alarming rate over the last few decades. This is based on the opportunities that are available in the city, which has kept attracting both local and international job seekers. However, a study shows that the number of housing units available within and around the city will not be able to accommodate the increasing number of people coming to the city (Gilg 2005, p.18). This is likely to result in the development of informal settlement such as slums around the city something that needs to be addressed in time. It is also projected that the increasing population will exert a lot of pressure of other infrastructural facilities. This may lead to shortage of water and increased demand for electricity. In addition, this may result in shortage of jobs following the fact that the U.K. has not yet recovered fully from recession (Gilg 2005, p.18). Shortage of jobs in the city may also result in increased crime rate, which would scare away investors and tourists from coming to the city of Manchester. The increase in population expected in Manchester city in the coming years is also expected to increase traffic congestion. This is not withstanding the fact that the city is facing a similar problem at currently. The increased traffic congestion in the city would cause a lot of inconvenience to the city residents, as many people would not be able to arrive at their workstations in time (Gilg 2005, p.18). Further, traffic snare ups will likely increase the amount of fuel consumption, which would be very dangerous for the U.K’s economy following the fact that it is already struggling to recover. Further, the city of Manchester might face the challenge of environmental degradation and pollution in the near future. This is based on the fact that many industries are coming up that might increase the level of greenhouse emissions to the environment. Apart from the environmental pollution, population increase might increase environmental degradation such as soil erosion and deforestation (Environment Agency 2009, p.51). Conclusion It is undeniable that the regeneration program has lifted the face of Manchester city from a poor city to one of the wealthiest and attractive cities in the world. This is because the program brought about several changes that have helped transform the city. Nevertheless, the city is still at the verge of experiencing a number of challenges that the government and city authority must initiate measures aimed at preventing such occurrence to ensure that Manchester becomes the most attractive city for investment and tourists in the world. References AGMA (2009). Prosperity for all: the greater Manchester strategy. Wigan: UK. Allmendinger, P., & White, M. (2003). Land use planning and the housing market: a comparative view of the UK and the USA. Urban Studies. 40(5/6), pp. 953—972. Barlow, J., Childerhouse, P., Gann, D., Hong-Minh, S., Naim, M., & Ozaki, R. (2003). ‘Choice and delivery in house building: lessons from Japan for UK housebuilders’. Building Research & Information. 31 (2), 134 – 145. Binsted, A., & Otsuka, N. (2010), Transport Provision and the Regeneration of Hardcore Derelict Sites. TRL. Blowfield, M., & Murray, A. (2008), Corporate responsibility: a critical introduction. Oxford University Press: Oxford. Bradbury, J. & Mawson, J. (2006), Devolution and regionalism, Routledge: London. Cadell, C., Falk, N., & King, F. (2008), Regeneration in European cities: making connections. Joseph Rowntree Foundation: York. Carpenter, J. (2005), ‘Tackling the hardcore’, regeneration, and renewal, 24 June Carpenter, J. (2009), ‘Moneys too tight to mention? Urban regeneration in a recession and beyond: The case of Oxford’, Paper presented at the ISA ‘Housing Assets, Housing People’ Conference, Glasgow, 1 -4. CLG 2004, planning policy statement 23: planning and pollution control communities and local government (CLG): London. CLG (2005), Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development Communities and Local Government (CLG): London. Cochrane, A. (2007), Understanding urban policy: a critical approach, Blackwell: Oxford. Colantonio, A., & DIxon, T 2010, Urban regeneration and social sustainability: best practice from European cities. Wiley- Blackwells: NJ. DEFRA (2005), One future: different paths-the UK’s shared framework for sustainable development. DEFRA, London. DIxon, T. & Otsuka, N. (2010), Cities in recession: urban regeneration in Manchester (England) and Osaka (Japan) and the case of ‘Hardcore’ Brownfield Sites. Pp.2-150. Ixon, T. & Adams, D. (2008), ‘Housing supply and Brownfield regeneration in a Post-Barker World: Is there enough Brownfield land in England and Scotland?’ Urban Studies, 45(1) 115-139. EIUA (2006), New Evaluated Manchester: Interim Evaluation of New East Manchester. European Institute of Urban Affairs, Liverpool John Moores University. Environment Agency (2009), Reporting the evidence: dealing with contaminated land in England and Wales. Environment Agency: Bristol. Gilg, A. (2005), Planning in Britain. Sage: London. Imrie, R. & Raco, M. (2003), Urban renaissance? New Labour, community and urban policy, Bristol: The policy press. Read More