Rebranding Manchester: a Success Or Failure? by Paul Wheeler

GEOFILE 780 Rebranding Manchester: a success or failure? By Paul Wheeler

Synopsis individual better-off middle-class people who choose to This Geofile looks at urban move into a poorer district in the hope the upgrading rebranding in the UK, what urban will create a pleasant area with rising property prices. rebranding is and why a city wants An example of both gentrification and urban renewal is to rebrand itself, or certain parts of Notting Hill in London. the city. Manchester is a city that has attempted to use rebranding to Learning objectives stimulate economic growth. In this unit you will learn:

What is rebranding? To remain ●● what urban rebranding is competitive, large companies ●● why it is needed sometimes replace or alter their ●● what the impacts of an urban rebranding process image – for instance, McDonald’s have been tag-line, ‘I’m Lovin’ it’, in an ●● about Manchester as a case study of rebranding. attempt to make the product seem more attractive to young consumers. Links Cities can do the same. Exam board Link to specification AQA Component 2: Human Geography; 3.2.3.1 Urban Key terms change – de-industrialisation, see page 24; 3.2.3.2 De-industrialisation: the reduction New urban landscapes, see page 24; 3.2.3.9 Case of the secondary industrial sector studies, see page 25; 3.3 Fieldwork possibilities, see (manufacturing) as a result of page 29 onwards Click here larger-scale economic changes. For Edexcel Area of study 2 Dynamic places, Topic 4 Shaping example, cotton could be made more AS nplaces, 4.9 a-c Rebranding, see page 36 Click here cheaply in India, and replaced much A2 Area of study 2 Dynamic places, Topic 4 Shaping of Manchester’s production. places, 4.9 a-c Rebranding, see page 32 Click here OCR Topic 2.1 Changing spaces, making places; 5b and c Urban function: each district of a Placemaking and case study, see page 17 Click here town/city concentrates on one AS A2 Topic 2.1 Changing spaces making places; 5b and c function e.g. manufacturing, Placemaking and case study, see page 21 Click here shopping, residential. Eduqas Component 1 Changing landscapes and changing Gentrification: the creation of new places, Section B Changing places ; 1.39 The and more expensive houses in some rebranding process and players in urban places, see poorer inner city districts. page 18 Click here Unit 2, 2.1 Changing Places; 2.1.9 The rebranding Urban renewal: the replacement WJEC AS process and players in urban places, see page 23; or renovation of declining older 2.1.10 Urban management and the challenges of inner urban areas. This is a slow and continuity and change, see page 23 Click here expensive process. It is usually IB NA funded partly by central government, local authorities, and

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What is rebranding? Why do cities and towns rebrand? Urban areas compete with each other to attract investment, tourists and residents. A number of cities have attempted to create a distinctive brand identity (Figure 1). Some have used a particular event to try and create a more positive Figure 1 Aims of rebranding impression of the area. Example include Hull as Manchester Strategy with a saw the collapse of the cotton European City of Culture vision for Manchester to be a industry in the UK. By the 2017. Often, towns and cities Top 20 global city by 2035. 1960s, Manchester had many use a slogan on their road Manchester has made run-down properties and signs to create the impression high unemployment. of a clear identity, for progress towards this goal, example Poole: ‘Surf, rest and with the city being recognised Manchester, like other HIC play’ emphasises the coastal as one of the Top 10 world cities today, is facing two town’s role as a leisure cities to visit by Lonely main challenges: destination. Planet. Part of this strategy 1. How best to use the has been to create a clear central land and old During the Industrial brand identity to make the Revolution, Manchester grew buildings which have lost city stand out, compared to business to other areas. as the cotton industry its competitors. developed and the city 2. How to develop a became dominated by cotton What is the history successful economy mills and workers’ houses. of Rebranding in following deindustrialisation. In the 1930s, cotton Manchester? production declined because b. Madchester a. Cottonopolis of competition from much Part of the initial stimulus to cheaper imports. The city fell Manchester’s growth during reverse the decline was into decline with the loss of the industrial revolution centred upon Manchester’s jobs, and many mills became was based on cotton status in the 1980s as a centre derelict. As people and jobs manufacturing, and it became of music and creativity. moved away, the local known as ‘Cottonopolis’. Its Manchester’s inner city council needed to find a way importance at the time was districts such as Hulme and to stop and reverse this noted by Benjamin Disraeli in Moss Side were the home of economic decline. 1844, who described it as ‘the many bands, including Joy most wonderful city of The 1996 IRA bombing of Division, the Smiths and modern times‘. However, Central Manchester made Happy Mondays. This music de-industrialisation, due to rebuilding essential. The city scene made Manchester a competition from abroad council published a Greater popular choice for students during the 1920s and 1930s,

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and young people. Factory Village – an area around Canal extensive regeneration, records, the Hacienda Street on the edge of the CBD. which led to the creation of nightclub and the rise of This area became a focus for New East Manchester (NEM), ‘Madchester’ as part of the the gay clubbing scene. an urban regeneration 80s rave scene all reinforced company created to attract the city’s reputation as a great How are different businesses, homes and place for students and other districts of facilities to the area. After the young adults to live. Manchester Commonwealth Games Mancunians were famously ended, the new stadium was ‘mad for it’. The city’s rebranding today? converted for use as universities doubled in size (Figure 2) Manchester City FC’s new and the student economy was New East Manchester – Sportcity stadium, The Etihad. Located a crucial financial boost. and New Islington close to the home of British Cottonopolis had become In the early 1980s, east cycling and British squash, ‘Madchester’. Manchester was in a state of this area has seen great c. Gunchester urban decay. 30 years of private investment and the deindustrialisation had development of a large new By the late 1980s the severely hit the engineering community in the nighttime culture had begun and heavy industry in the surrounding areas of Ancoats to earn a more negative area, leaving dereliction and and New Islington. reputation as reports of gang high unemployment. violence, stabbings and New Islington. This area shootings became more Sportcity. Manchester was was previously known as the common. The media picked selected to host the 2002 Cardroom Housing Estate. To up on these crime reports, Commonwealth Games, and change its reputation, it was and Manchester found itself a new stadium was built close rebranded New Islington. The rebranded from ‘Madchester’ to the world-class velodrome plan was to replace run-down to ‘Gunchester’. in east Manchester. Sport housing and add new became the catalyst for facilities, such as a new d. Gaychester Many students remained in the area, moving into jobs in the growing computing, management and consultancy sectors. One of the first developments was Manchester Science Park, near to the University. The increased population in this area created more demand for housing. Old houses were gentrified, with people moving in to rundown properties and repairing them. Developers saw this trend and started converting the derelict warehouses in inner city areas, such as Dominion Apartments in what was locally known as the Gay Figure 2 Manchester and its different areas

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primary school, health centre and a new city marina. The iconic ‘Chips’ development of apartments was built and attracted other developers (Figure 3). A new park and a marina area and even a small beach were built to improve the environment (Figure 5).

Manchester Northern Quarter Located between the city centre and New Islington, this area was dominated by mills and market traders, but today Figure 3 Chips building, part of New Islington regeneration it is known for hip, Source: Paul Wheeler independent record and clothing stores, cafes and bars. It is popular with young adults (Figure 4). New bars and restaurants are continuing to open in the Quarter and the area is busy during the day and at night.

Salford Quays Mediacity Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom, following the closure of the dockyards in 1982. In 2007 the BBC decided to move several departments Figure 4 Northern Quarter new bars and refurbishment of older buildings there. ITV followed and other Source: Paul Wheeler media outlets soon joined them. The area was rebranded and Crown Court. There has Manchester and Manchester MediaCityUK and it created been over £1 billion of private Metropolitan University: it is 10,000 jobs and added £1bn to investment, which has created home to more than 200 the regional economy over five 15,000 jobs. Spinningfields is graphene researchers in the years. now home to 165 commercial £61m National Graphene organisations. Institute (NGI) and the £60m Financial Quarter Graphene Engineering An area to the south west of Graphene City Corridor – Oxford Road Academic Wedge Innovation Institute (GEIC). the CBD in Spinningfields, (Graphene is a Nobel Prize- this district in the heart of the Oxford Road is an important winning substance discovered CBD is dominated by banks, route into the CBD from the in Manchester 2004 and is law firms and accountancy south. It is a rapidly used to manufacture high-tech companies. It is also home to regenerating academic district, new materials.) The aim is to both the Magistrates’ Court containing the University of make the Oxford Road corridor

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Figure 5 New Islington free school, Urban Splash apartments, the new marina and urban park and in the background the Chips building Source: Paul Wheeler

a Silicon Valley-type centre of Deansgate, the tallest all-steel growing city in the country. excellence. It is estimated that residential building in the Between 2007 and 2012, the up to 25% of Manchester’s UK, and Wakefield Street number of families went up by GVA (gross value added – the Tower, which is described as 15%, and the number of value generated by any unit the ‘tallest purpose-built families in poverty went down engaged in the production of student accommodation in by 25%. If you look at our goods and services) is the world’. Manchester has economic activity rate, from generated in this area. reversed its decline and is a 2004 to 2014, the national On the Oxford Road, target for in-migrants. The change was plus 9%; in rebranding has led to the current student population of Manchester it was 28%.’ banning of private cars and nearly 40,000 gives the city a the road being converted to a median age of 29, which is Failures – 4-km stretch of Dutch-style extremely young. Collyhurst: cycle and bus lanes. The area Between 2001 and 2011, Gentrification by has also received a grant to Manchester’s population Developers become a ‘Green Corridor’, increased by 20%. In 1987, Close to the Northern Quarter with tree planting and even the population of the city and New Islington ‘green roofs’ covered with centre was a mere 300; now it regenerations lies the district plants being installed on is over 11,000. The city is of Collyhurst (Figure 6). Home buildings to help manage predicted to exceed the UK’s to 7,000 people, it has the rainwater. average rate of economic highest unemployment in the growth for at least the next city. The City Council describes Rebranding Success 10 years. It is claimed that it as ‘one of the most deprived and Failure? 40% of Manchester residents areas in the whole country’. Manchester has adopted the are educated to degree level. A New flats are appearing, but slogan: ‘The Original Modern lot of other English cities look local people fear being pushed City’. There are visual to Manchester for inspiration out. They point out that the examples of Manchester’s and as a blueprint of how apartments being developed investment and growth all to move out of industrial by Urban Splash company are over the city centre. Cranes decline into economic growth. not built with them in mind, are a feature of the skyline, Sir Richard Leese, the leader but the more growing and and towering new buildings of Manchester City Council, affluent student population. having been built such as No 1 states that ‘Between 2000 and Local people see families 2011 we were the fastest-

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divided as homes are knocked down and building sites are splitting the local community. The Lalley Centre, a community facility run by the Catholic church, has seen demand for its food bank double in two years, with up to 120 people a week using this service. At the Manchester Communication Academy, a new secondary school opened on the edges of Collyhurst, 75% of the students fit into at least one of the at-risk categories. The area is yet to Figure 6 Collyhurst estate: yet to benefit from rebranding benefit from the successes Source: Paul Wheeler seen in other parts of Manchester.

Focus Questions

1 Explain why rebranding takes place 2 How and why did Manchester as a whole rebrand? 3 What distinct areas within Manchester have been rebranded? 4 Evaluate the success of these schemes. 5 In what ways has Manchester managed to change people’s perception of it as a city? 6 Essay question. Evaluate the success or failure of recent attempts to rebrand Manchester. In your opinion, overall has it worked?

Learning checkpoint

1. Glossary task. Write definitions for. • Give three brief examples of where and how Manchester rebranded certain areas and • rebranding the impacts of this. Precise facts will earn you better marks. • regeneration • What evidence is there that Manchester has • redevelopment. benefited from these schemes? 2. To help you remember this case study, make • What still needs to be done? brief notes using the following headings: • What is rebranding? • Why did Manchester need to do it?

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