The redevelopment of central Manchester and Salford Quays offer a useful model for culturally-led regeneration which other cities can learn from, according to a new report released today.

The report, entitled Success and Innovation in Planning was published by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the professional body representing 23,000 planners working in the public, private, charitable and education sectors.

A panel of 100 planning experts from across the UK nominated just 12 standout case studies. Newcastle University’s Global Urban Research Unit conducted research behind the report.

Greater Manchester, which has seen an urban renaissance over the past two decades, had two case studies highlighted in the report.

The report pinpoints the reversal in Salford Docks fortunes to the adoption of a new strategy by the local authority in 1992, which was based around the new home for the Lowry collection.

The Lowry Centre, which opened in 2000, was later joined by the Imperial War Museum North, which sat on the other side of the canal, in 2002 and the location was badged as Salford Quays. These two iconic structures served as ‘cultural anchors’ for the area, while the new lifting footbridge improved local connectivity, allowing for increasing confidence for the private sector to invest.

The relocation of parts of the BBC to the new Media City Salford development in 2010 has only cemented Salford Quays’ new position as a cultural hub, says the RTPI. This has brought not only direct employment to the area, but also attracted a number of smaller businesses from the creative sector.

The second standout example from Greater Manchester featured in the report was the regeneration of Manchester city centre. As with Salford Quays, in the early 1990s understanding how culture could regenerate the area, in central Manchester it was popular music that spearheaded change. Manchester has become increasingly a destination place for young people and students in particular, which further helped drive the city’s development forward and this continues.

Planners also drew on central Manchester’s rich architectural heritage, hoping to conserve buildings while also using them for economic gain. This was the case with the remodelling of the Corn Exchange.

Cath Ranson, President of the RTPI said:

“Greater Manchester provides an excellent case in point of how cultural initiatives can be at the heart of a city’s regeneration. Salford Quays is now a massive hub for the creative industries, while Greater Manchester as a whole has a thriving arts scene which rivals London. To have two projects nominated shows standout success in planning across Greater Manchester and the local community can be proud of their own achievement in bringing this about, as well as proud of their local council planning teams.”

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