 | | The high life? |
Manchester has witnessed a massive growth in city centre living. In 1990, just 70 people lived in the heart of Manchester; today more than 15,000 boast a city centre address. In December 2005, the Government's Urban Task Force released a report praising Manchester as a leader in inner city living and describing the transformation as true urban renaissance. City life: not for kids But, unsurprisingly, a closer study reveals that city centre residents are not representative of the wider population. In fact: - two-thirds of Manchester’s city centre population are aged 18-34;
- are twice as likely to be single (75%) as the national average;
- nearly 25% are aged 20-24 (6% nationally);
- are more likely to be students (40% of city centre residents);
- a third move in or out each year (3x higher than national average)
- what they like: bars, cafes, walking to work and the city centre 'buzz'
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These are the findings of Centre for Cities - an independent urban research unit, based at the Institute for Public Policy Research. On 11 Jan 2006, it published a report which concluded that 'city centre living in Manchester is best suited to young single people, not families.' Max Nathan, author of the report, said: "Manchester has been at the forefront of city centre living for the past 15 years. Starting from Castlefield and the Northern Quarter, development has spread across the whole city centre. Young people have been a large part of the story. "But families and older people prefer neighbourhoods with houses, parks, schools and healthcare." What next for Manchester? There seems to be no push to attract families to live in the centre. The initial spate of office, loft and warehouse conversions has expanded to include large numbers of relatively small new-build flats, aimed at the buy-to-let market.
 | | City living: it's not kids play |
The report says that city planners should now focus on improving areas like Ancoats, Ardwick and Beswick, rather than expanding the city centre. Tom Bloxham MBE, Chairman of Urban Splash agreed: "Manchester is the city centre living pioneer. But as the city centre has recovered, many areas nearby have stayed the same. Regenerating these inner ring neighbourhoods is the big priority for the decade ahead." On the message board What do you think? Do you live in the city centre? What are the pros and cons of living in the heart of Manchester?
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