Describe the regeneration scheme in Manchester that has led to the development of the Inner City.

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Miles Goodman                9:27 PM, 5/1/2007

Describe the regeneration scheme in Manchester that has led to the development of the Inner City

[60 marks]

Manchester was once the most dynamic city in the world, home of the industrial revolution. It originated as a Roman city but is renowned for being the first industrial city in the world. Technological advancements and lucrative trade in cotton enabled Manchester to become a major provincial centre in the 1800's. The influx of immigrants in search of work resulted in high concentrations of inhabitants in the inner city. By 1914,

80, 000 of the 180,000 dwellings in the city or just under half were officially defined as 'slum properties' as quoted by Williams in 1996and from as early as 1918 the city’s cotton industry was in decline, followed by metal-working and engineering after 1945..

Inner city decline is now apparent with brownfield sites and derelict land remaining from these industries that have moved or closed down. The inner city of Manchester is characterised by older, 19th century neighbourhoods where the factories that once supported them have gone, leaving behind a legacy of joblessness, poor health, physical decay, low property prices and a lack of development. Social polarisation has increased due to the inability of certain groups to adapt quickly enough to changes in the labour market. Urban regeneration principles have therefore been applied throughout a long period to address the many challenges facing Manchester.

During the 1950s and 1960s there was a steady decline in rail and canal transport due to changes in industry. As a result, Castlefield became an area of economic decline.

Much of Hulme was cleared for redevelopment in the 1960s. Pedestrian/vehicle segregation was a primary characteristic of the new design. Stretford road, the main route through the area and once the 'main' shopping street outside of the city centre, was closed to traffic in 1965. The decision to close the main route through the area had several negative consequences. The closure diminished the amount of people travelling into the area and reduced the accessibility of local residents to surrounding neighbourhoods.

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Businesses and trades such as the Dunlop rubber factory, Gaythorn gas works, the birthplace of the Rolls Royce, gold-beating and sign writing began to move out or close as the clearance progressed.

The planners' vision was to replace the traditional street life and social interaction above the hazards of traffic and replace the slum housing with habitable dwellings. In order to accomplish these deck-access apartments, walkways and bridges were constructed. The residential component of the redevelopment included 5,000 new homes in five deck-access developments and 13 tower blocks. The focal point of the redevelopment was the ...

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