History of Manchester
Revolution, Destruction, and Rebirth.
1760s~1840s
Mancester emerged as a prominent center of the Industrial Revolution and become the first industrial city in the world. The population swelled in this period and brought social issues. The first wave of regeneration occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in response to these challenges.
1940
Manchester was hit by two nights of German air raids during World War II, referred to as the 'Christmas Blitz'. Commercial centres and residential areas were most badly affected. The second wave of urban regeneration happens thereafter.
1996
The IRA detonated a 1,500-kilogram lorry bomb on Corporation Street in the centre of Manchester. This tragic event acted as a catalyst for mordern regeneration efforts.
Demographic changes
Greater Manchester as the leading role in the North West England.
“A phoenix rise”: population prosperity after the big decline
The comparison between the charts reveals that the Manchester area underwent significant urbanization during the early 19th century, especially in the industrial revolution period. However, after World War I in 1931, the population started declining and continued to do so for about 40 years. It wasn't until the 1990s that urban regeneration projects sparked a positive upturn in population growth, leading to the vibrant boom experienced in the 21st century.
As the world's first industrial city, Manchester experienced rapid population growth after the industrial revolution in 1860s and then, a significant population decline in the first half of the twentieth century. In the 1990s, with the beginning of urban regeneration, the graph on the right clearly shows the turning point from population loss to growth.
Spatial population change
The bubble map depicts the spatial distribution of Greater Manchester's population over time. It shows the significant population growth during the industrial revolution, followed by a recession after World War II. In the 1970s, there was a noticeable expansion in suburban areas and neighboring cities like Leeds and Sheffield. By 2021, the population gap between the 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester had significantly diminished.
Changes in deprivation
The map provides users with a flexible tool to uncover various information and draw conclusions. For example, most intuitively, the map shows that overall employment and education have gotten better across Greater Manchester, while crime and health conditions have both become worse. Urban regeneration is particularly evident in education, as Manchester has specifically focused on improving education.
Case Study
Major urban regeneration projects are gathering in the city centre area.
Look into the future
Manchester has undergone a complete transformation of its industries as a result of urban regeneration driven by renewal projects. After urban decay and population loss, Manchester has been transformed through environmental improvement and industrial upgrading into a 'new' city with digital, media, creative and educational field as its leading industries. There are also inevitably side effects during urban regeneration, such as the increase of housing prices, crime rate, and health issues. Urban regeneration does not happen overnight. We look forward to a future in which Manchester will become a more inclusive and liveable city with the continuous progress of urban regeneration.