Urban Regeneration in the East of Manchester - Essay Example

?Urban Regeneration in East Manchester Contents Urban Regeneration in East Manchester Contents Aim of the research 2 Introduction 2 Justification4 Literature Review 5 Research Methodology 8 Ethical Considerations 11 Work Schedule 12 References 12 Aim of the research The primary purpose of the proposed study is to analyze the scope of urban regeneration and various urban changes that are currently underway in East Manchester. In doing so, the proposed study aims to evaluate aspects such as regeneration, urban processes and sustainability to suggest any possible shifts that may have occurred in this process. Introduction According to Cochrane (2006), urban regeneration is an important precondition for restructuring a local economy and to eliminate all forms of social exclusion. Many cities and towns all over the world face numerous issues and challenges in devising effective strategies and policies that can enhance and sustain economic development besides achieving better correlation between people’s needs and the opportunities generated due to this economic development. The evolution of electronic era has introduced an additional dimension into this complexity. There is a clear increase in the scope and speed of the changes required while there is also a need for new approaches to identify and mitigate all potential risks that may arise due to these dynamic processes. History After years of post-industrial era decline, the city of Manchester, especially the eastern parts, has witnessed some renewed economic growth which has been growing steadily alongside social issues like poverty and unemployment. Hebbert (2009) says that Manchester has the highest incidence of child poverty across the United Kingdom (UK) and stands at the third position in the list of cities with multiple deprivations. The fact that East Manchester has been experiencing rapid economic growth together with social degradation is threatening its long-term sustainability and economic growth. The Manchester City Council has identified ways such as investment in business opportunities, infrastructure development and home constructions to overcome this contrasting discrepancy. Carley (2007) says that the council also plans to utilize Information and Communication technologies (ICT) as part of its economic development framework to enhance the skills and competencies of local citizens and reduce unemployment. Most of these efforts have been based on a prior analysis of the local needs and aspirations of specific areas and a clear mapping between requirements and opportunities. One of the best examples of the City Council’s efforts in the urban regeneration of East Manchester is the establishment of a public-private partnership known as the New East Manchester Ltd. (NEM). Established in 1999, this non-profit organization oversees the urban regeneration of over 2000 hectares in East Manchester from an industrial zone into a lucrative destination for businesses, residents and investors (McCarthy, 2007). The council is also credited with establishing an online community known as ‘EastServe’ that provides a common platform for related organizations and citizens in this regeneration process. Research Agenda The proposed study shall utilize all these aspects into analyzing some key questions and domains associated with the urban regeneration process. More specifically, the study aims to achieve the following objectives: Evaluate the regeneration of the local economy and real estate market. Study the scope of transformation achieved by the NEM since its inception. Understand how digital and online services have helped ensure better participation from local citizens in the urban generation of backward neighborhoods. Identify all existing barriers and determine ways these can be minimized through better coordination among citizens, government agencies and local businesses. Evaluate any business models or technologies that can lead to sustainable and innovative transformation of East Manchester. Justification The nature of urban regeneration in East Manchester and the scale at which it is currently in progress qualify it as one of the most complex and challenging projects ever undertaken in the UK. During the first half of the twentieth century, East Manchester was one an economic powerhouse and bustling with a lot of business activity. Growth in local industries attracted people in search of jobs and contributed to the town’s prosperity. However, this economic growth began to decline from the 1960s and led to massive shortages in housing, jobs and healthcare (Graaf, 2009). Other social issues such as crime and lack of educational opportunities also began to rise. The urban regeneration program was initiated by the Manchester City Council after East Manchester was officially recognized as one of the most disadvantaged and poorest regions. The scope and range of the regeneration projects undertaken, combined with several interrelated issues that had to be addressed offer an interesting subject for analysis. In other words, the situation and the complex solutions implemented by the council imply that urban regeneration is not restricted to providing new business opportunities, developing infrastructure or constructing new homes. Rather, the proposed study aims to understand whether the council’s efforts have had any significant impact on the lives of the people living in the area and whether there are any opportunities for further improvement and resolution of outstanding issues. Literature Review Mace (2007) argues that one of the primary influences for initiating the urban regeneration of East Manchester were the Commonwealth Games held there in 2002. Being the largest international sports events ever to have been organized by the UK, many sports facilities such as the ‘Sportcity’ and ‘City of Manchester Stadium’ were constructed in East Manchester. The City council made every effort to encourage the participation of local residents in these games by way of jobs and volunteering. Peck (2007) notes that other than improving East Manchester, the government was forced to undertake its development as these games attracted unprecedented media attention and visitors from all across the world. Hence, there was a need to project East Manchester as a quality location that offered all basic amenities and infrastructure (Bontje, 2011). Infrastructure development East Manchester is also close to the city centre but lacked any proper connection either through the motorways or public transportation. The ‘Metrolink’ has since been extended to areas such as Oldham Road and Ashton to link more regions in East Manchester with the city’s metro system (Geyer, 2007). Likewise, the M60 motorway was also expanded to provide better accessibility for East Manchester’s residents. Given these improvements in infrastructure, the City Council saw it best to initiate sustainable regeneration of a sizeable chunk of East Manchester using an integrated approach (Geyer, 2007). Since 1999, over 2000 hectares of land, particularly those situated close to the city centre, have been undergoing urban regeneration. As part of a 15-year plan, the City Council estimated investments of over ?2.5 billion in this project with funding from both public agencies and private investors. Robson (2005) says that the urban regeneration of East Manchester began with an elaborate planning phase between 2001 and 2002. To set forth its agenda and strategy in the public domain, a large area comprising localities like Miles Platting, Beswick, Ardwick, Belle Vue and Clayton were earmarked for development. With a specific target area in place, Young (2006) notes that local residents and investors had clear expectations on specific areas of regeneration and investment opportunities. In 2002, the City Council unveiled specific details of its plan after extensive engagement and feedback from the local community. Over the next 7 years (between 2002 and 2008, prior to the global financial meltdown and real estate crisis), over16, 000 new jobs have been created while more than 12, 000 new homes have been constructed (Williams, 2008). The government is also investing in development of business districts such as the ‘North Manchester Business Park’. Spread across a sprawling area of 200 hectares, the park is expected to create an additional 10,000 new jobs upon completion and is being constructed through public-private collaboration (Punter, 2009). Business growth and investments Other business projects were also initiated with a view to encouraging smaller businesses. For example, a new town center was constructed adjacent to the ‘City of Manchester’ stadium to host retail stores, groceries and restaurants. The Ashton Canal Corridor, which connects the sports facilities in East Manchester with the city centre, has also undergone some major transformations. The shoreline along the canal has been developed to accommodate more greenery and presents a greener, environmental outlook on the part of the city council in its regeneration efforts (Ward, 2006). Industries such as the mills that continue to operate in the area have also been offered assistance for refurbishment and renovation as per local environmental norms. Most of these redevelopment activities are managed by the New East Manchester Ltd. Of particular mention is the ‘ONE-Manchester’ strategic partnership that brings public, private and non-profit entities onto the same platform in the course of East Manchester’s urban regeneration (Hebbert, 2009). The primary goal of ‘ONE-Manchester’ is to make better use of digital technologies in creating a collaborative medium through which all stakeholders can engage with one another. The Manchester City Council has partnered with several adjoining municipalities in order to offer digitally enabled services to the local community. As part of a reinvented collaborative delivery model, the project is intended to encourage community participation and generate some valuable social capital (Mace, 2007). ‘ONE-Manchester’ has succeeded in facilitating localized action plans that provide for geographically specific regeneration (Peck, 2007). Action plans, capabilities and proposals are made available through online mediums so as to offer opportunities to the public to present their feedback. The program has also garnered effective coordination among regional and national agencies in a seamless fashion and has improved the workflow, delivery models and accountability associated with each regeneration project. Coordinated regeneration Jones (2008), as part of his studies on urban evolution, finds that East Manchester is undergoing a transition and draws attention towards the need to maintain a strategic plan that can reflect the future conditions and aspirations of the local community. The NEM indulges in extensive consultations with local stakeholders for this purpose and is working to ensure proper and effective regeneration that can be sustainable over the long term. Tallon (2009) has studied the performance of the NEM and concludes that the lessons learnt from the organization offer new avenues for managing urban areas in the coming years. He notes that any urban regeneration program underscores the significance of people, workflows and politics in realizing effective and efficient outcomes. He also says that a complete transformation of such a large urban area across both the physical and social ends is an achievement in itself and attributes it to the concrete relationship between agencies that performed the actual work (such as the NEM) and their funding partners (like the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Manchester City Council and other private companies) (Robson, 2005). Research Methodology Objectives The proposed research shall employ a well defined research strategy that is based on a combination of questionnaire-based surveys and analysis of previous case studies. Thus, the study shall rely on both primary and secondary sources of information for deducing any inferences (Kothari, 2008). Primary sources shall include information from surveys conducted on individuals from all associated stakeholders in the urban regeneration of East Manchester. This shall include people from the local communities, Manchester City Council, NEM and private investors. Separate questionnaires shall be prepared for each stakeholder group so that specific answers that address the interests of each such group are efficiently obtained. Data from previous case studies that have been performed on related subjects will also be used as secondary sources to utilize any potential information that can help in understanding trends associated with the regeneration (Goddard, 2007). The surveys will aim at understanding specific issues such as the following: 1. What does the individual think of urban regeneration and how has it helped in improving his/her aspirations and objectives? 2. How do factors like collaboration and socio-economic growth govern any relevant strategies? 3. To what extent was funding necessary in order to realize a particular goal such as building houses or commercial space? 4. Has the City Council made every effort to address everyone’s requirements? Have there been any shortcomings? 5. What is the roadmap towards further regeneration from here? 6. Is there scope for any improvement? If so, how? 7. Is East Manchester now better connected with other parts of the city? What are the primary improvements and developments in the project areas? 8. How important a factor was coordination in this whole process? Has it been inclusive enough? 9. Is East Manchester in a better position now at attracting investments? 10. Growth rates of various determinants such as housing, employment, healthcare, law & order etc. Proposed approach The survey method also adopts a qualitative approach in order to leverage subjective techniques such as observations and direct interviews with key personnel involved in the reconstruction projects. As part of this process, interviews shall be scheduled with consenting members from the various organizations listed in the preceding sections. This will include administrators, project managers, engineers, lawmakers and local residents who have a direct impact on the pattern and progress of urban regeneration in East Manchester. Adopting this qualitative approach is believed to be necessary since this helps derive numerous perspectives from the varying experiences of each interviewee (Khan, 2010). Using this collected information, aggregation methods shall be employed and elaborate analysis shall be applied to this data in order to develop useful conclusions based on standard models such as SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), PEST (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological) etc (Khan, 2010). Describing the inferences as per standard frameworks not only improves understandability, but also contributes to the deduction of standard results that can be used in subsequent analysis without much modification. Based on availability of respondents, the surveys are proposed to be applied to at least 10 members from each stakeholder group so as to cover a broad spectrum of individuals who are directly or indirectly affected by East Manchester’s urban regeneration. The observation technique during these proposed surveys will be based upon a structured protocol that can assist in collection of field data (Khanzode, 2010). Information from secondary literature will act as a guide during the personal interviews, which are proposed to be organized in addition to the surveys so as to facilitate more detailed information gathering and follow-up (Khanzode, 2010). The objective is to interview at least 10 key people who play different roles in the regeneration projects and thereby represent different stakeholder groups. Thus, the personal interview will provide a medium to understand the subjects’ daily responsibilities or experiences with urban generation apart from reflecting directly on their beliefs, roles and responsibilities. Additionally, the proposed study will also make use of recent research on urban generation to identify any relevant method and approaches that may be incorporated into the study in addition to the proposed approach. Much of this secondary information shall be sourced from local libraries, online databases and reputed research journals associated with urban regeneration. Ethical Considerations All respondents and interviewees will be asked to sign a consent form and questions shall be asked only upon informing them of the study’s research objectives and agenda. It is believed that the proposed study will not require any ethical approval due to many other reasons as well. Since the proposed research aims to understand the current and previous scenarios, there shall be no attempt to distort any known facts as this does not benefit the study. Secondly, interviews will be conducted only upon ensuring that this does not pose any unnecessary strain on the respondents or force them to deviate from their normal work schedule. Meetings will be scheduled beforehand with all interviewees and there shall be contingency plans in place to accommodate any changes in the schedule. Since no other risks are foreseeable at the current scenario, there will not be any requirement for ethical approval. Work Schedule //To be filled up References 1. Bontje, M., 2011. Inventive City-Regions: Path Dependence and Creative Knowledge Strategies in Urban and Regional Planning and Development. London: Ashgate Publishing. 2. Carley, M., 2007. Urban regeneration through partnership: a study in nine urban regions in England, Wales and Scotland. Bristol: The Policy Press. 3. Cochrane, A., 2006. Manchester plays games: exploring the local politics of globalization. New York: Urban Studies. 4. Geyer, H., 2007. International Handbook of Urban Policy: Issues in the developed world. New York: Edward Elgar Publishing. 5. Goddard, W., 2007. Research Methodology: An Introduction. London: Juta and Company Ltd. 6. Graaf, P., 2009. Out of place? Emotional ties to the neighborhood in urban renewal in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Amsterdam University Press. 7. Hebbert, M., 2009. Urban Design and the British Urban Renaissance. London: Routledge. 8. Jones, P., 2008. Urban regeneration in the UK. London: SAGE Publications. 9. Khan, 2010. Research Methodology. New York: APH Publishing. 10. Khanzode, V., 2010. Research Methodology. New York: APH Publishing. 11. Kothari, C., 2008. Research methodology: methods and techniques. Chicago: New Age International. 12. Mace, A.. 2007. New East Manchester: Urban Renaissance or Urban Opportunism?. European Planning Studies. 13. McCarthy, J., 2007. Partnership, collaborative planning and urban regeneration. London: Ashgate Publishing. 14. Peck, J., 2007. City of Revolution: Restructuring Manchester. Manchester University Press. 15. Punter, J., 2009. Urban Design and the British Urban Renaissance. London: Taylor & Francis. 16. Robson, B., 2005. Mancunian ways: the politics of regeneration. Manchester University Press. 17. Tallon, A., 2009. Urban regeneration in the UK. London: Taylor & Francis. 18. Ward, K., 2006. City of revolution: restructuring Manchester. Manchester University Press. 19. Williams, G., 2008. The enterprising city centre: Manchester's development challenge. London: Taylor & Francis. 20. Young, C., 2006. Living with Difference? The ‘Cosmopolitan City’ and Urban Reimaging in Manchester, UK. Urban Studies. Read More