Manchester, The Centripetal City: The Lessons Of Property-Led Regeneration For Core Cities And Their Proximal Towns In The Northern Powerhouse
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Management School
Abstract
The sight of skyscrapers on Manchester's skyline contrasts with the boarded-up shops of towns nearby. This raises questions about the ability of Manchester's city-regional model to create inclusive, accountable, sustainable growth and thus its suitability as a blueprint for urban regeneration within the Northern Powerhouse area.
This project will investigate whether the ideas which underpin the Manchester model of regional development and the Northern Powerhouse actually work. Those ideas claim that the growth of flat building in city centres creates 'agglomeration' benefits - that is, that a growing concentration of skilled people, finance and technology in the same city creates productivity improvements which spill out into surrounding areas. We will do this through an in-depth financial and spatial analysis of investment in Manchester's 'Build To Rent' (BTR) sector - a special property class common in Manchester that is built specifically for renters.
We will consider whether Manchester's 'property-led regeneration' model of attracting private investment into BTR to boost growth might in fact have the opposite effect. Competition for land may push up rents and create opportunities for financial extraction for large global companies, taking money away from local economies. It may also encourage speculation which encourages companies to take on more debt, introducing new risks in a market downturn. It may also add to the costs of infrastructure development, creating inefficiencies. And it may pull in investment, technology and skills from surrounding towns into central areas in ways that harm those towns. We refer to these problems as problems of the 'centripetal city'. This metaphor is designed to capture the vortex-like motion whereby skills and other resources are pulled to the centre of Manchester, the benefits of which are funnelled to global investors. This contrasts with the 'centrifugal' metaphor that underpins property-led, agglomerative regeneration strategies - that productivity gains in the city centre are thrown out into the regions.
In terms of methods, we bring together expertise in accounting and economic geography to investigate the financial and spatial relations and outcomes of BTR construction, from the way it is marketed, to the way it is constructed to its financial and spatial effects.
Our project will be broken down into four themes. Our first theme will examine how Manchester sells itself as a city and its BTR property assets to global investors, because the visions and commitments set out in those deals shapes the process of urban regeneration in Greater Manchester. We will also examine the role of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) in the marketing of those assets.
Our second theme will use detailed accounting analysis to examine how those assets are constructed, which companies are involved in their construction and the way money flows through those organisations. This will tell us about the extent of extraction in BTR. It will also tell us about the balance of on- and off-shore companies in this sector, thus providing a transparency and accountability aspect. We will also examine how financially stable BTR companies and their housing assets are, providing an economic sustainability lens for our BTR research.
Our third theme will examine the effects of Manchester's regeneration model at different spatial scales. This will draw out whether centrifugal or centripetal forces (or some combination of the two) are at work in Greater Manchester. We will use a variety of socio-economic indicators (business mortality rate, shop footfall, inward migration etc) to examine the presence or otherwise of centripetal forces.
Our fourth theme is our impact theme. This theme will draw on our findings to develop engagement strategies which aim to build civil society resistance to extractive forms of development which undermine inclusive, accountable and sustainable development.
This project will investigate whether the ideas which underpin the Manchester model of regional development and the Northern Powerhouse actually work. Those ideas claim that the growth of flat building in city centres creates 'agglomeration' benefits - that is, that a growing concentration of skilled people, finance and technology in the same city creates productivity improvements which spill out into surrounding areas. We will do this through an in-depth financial and spatial analysis of investment in Manchester's 'Build To Rent' (BTR) sector - a special property class common in Manchester that is built specifically for renters.
We will consider whether Manchester's 'property-led regeneration' model of attracting private investment into BTR to boost growth might in fact have the opposite effect. Competition for land may push up rents and create opportunities for financial extraction for large global companies, taking money away from local economies. It may also encourage speculation which encourages companies to take on more debt, introducing new risks in a market downturn. It may also add to the costs of infrastructure development, creating inefficiencies. And it may pull in investment, technology and skills from surrounding towns into central areas in ways that harm those towns. We refer to these problems as problems of the 'centripetal city'. This metaphor is designed to capture the vortex-like motion whereby skills and other resources are pulled to the centre of Manchester, the benefits of which are funnelled to global investors. This contrasts with the 'centrifugal' metaphor that underpins property-led, agglomerative regeneration strategies - that productivity gains in the city centre are thrown out into the regions.
In terms of methods, we bring together expertise in accounting and economic geography to investigate the financial and spatial relations and outcomes of BTR construction, from the way it is marketed, to the way it is constructed to its financial and spatial effects.
Our project will be broken down into four themes. Our first theme will examine how Manchester sells itself as a city and its BTR property assets to global investors, because the visions and commitments set out in those deals shapes the process of urban regeneration in Greater Manchester. We will also examine the role of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) in the marketing of those assets.
Our second theme will use detailed accounting analysis to examine how those assets are constructed, which companies are involved in their construction and the way money flows through those organisations. This will tell us about the extent of extraction in BTR. It will also tell us about the balance of on- and off-shore companies in this sector, thus providing a transparency and accountability aspect. We will also examine how financially stable BTR companies and their housing assets are, providing an economic sustainability lens for our BTR research.
Our third theme will examine the effects of Manchester's regeneration model at different spatial scales. This will draw out whether centrifugal or centripetal forces (or some combination of the two) are at work in Greater Manchester. We will use a variety of socio-economic indicators (business mortality rate, shop footfall, inward migration etc) to examine the presence or otherwise of centripetal forces.
Our fourth theme is our impact theme. This theme will draw on our findings to develop engagement strategies which aim to build civil society resistance to extractive forms of development which undermine inclusive, accountable and sustainable development.
Publications
Gillespie, T.
(2021)
Who Owns the City? The privatisation of public land in Manchester
Goulding R
(2023)
From homes to assets: Transcalar territorial networks and the financialization of build to rent in Greater Manchester
in Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space
Goulding R
(2024)
A 'Distributional Apparatus' for real estate: Fair value accounting and the assetization of UK property
in Critical Perspectives on Accounting
Goulding R
(2024)
TRANSFORMING SOCIAL HOUSING INTO AN ASSET CLASS : REITs and the Financialization of Supported Housing in England
in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research
Goulding R
(2022)
Manchester Offshored: A Public Interest Report on the Manchester Life Partnership Between Manchester City Council and The Abu Dhabi United Group
in SSRN Electronic Journal
Goulding, R.
(2024)
A 'Distributional Apparatus' for real estate: Fair value accounting and the assetization of UK property
in Critical Perspectives On Accounting
Goulding, R.
(2025)
Centripetal Cities A critique of supply-side urban development Richard
Hall S
(2023)
The changing spatial arrangements of global finance: Financial, social and legal infrastructures
in Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space
| Title | Manchester Offshored - Play |
| Description | The findings and data from our Manchester Offshored are to form part of a new theatrical play by playwright Nathaniel McBride. We took part in a discussion group about how our findings, and the documents we drew on, could form part of a new play. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Parts of the Manchester Offshored report will be dramatised in McBride's play, which is to be constructed entirely out of documentary evidence. He previously wrote a play using the same method on the Grenfell disaster. |
| Description | 1. Our capstone 'Centripetal Cities' report provides new knowledge on the limits of the city-first, property-led urban regeneration model for the urban core. Through a study of Greater Manchester, we find that while Manchester city centre and Salford centre experience productivity performance at or above the national average, measured by GVA per hour worked, outlying Greater Manchester areas often struggle. We find that these productivity increases lead to some wage improvement in middle class commuter belts like Trafford and Stockport, but generally productivity and wage growth is modest in many peripheral areas. Importantly we find that for those living in the urban centres where there is a higher propensity to rent, higher rents mean lower post-housing cost disposable income, which at the average are similar to that of poorer boroughs like Rochdale. We highlight a number of 'subsidies' available to developers/investors (grants, concessions on affordable housing, land deals etc). Our findings show that the productivity gains which may trickle back to gross pay in the urban centre, are therefore captured by property investors through higher rents. 2. For many outlying areas, we find that there is weaker productivity, lower growth of economically active workers and insipid wage growth. We find that housing clearances and losses of (and lack of development of) affordable housing; combined with rising house prices/rental values pushes working class communities to the peripheries of the city. This empirical finding reinforces our theoretical focus on different forms of economic circulation: where centripetal rather than centrifugal logics proliferate in Manchester, as resources are pulled to the urban centres, yet productivity gains are captured disproportionately by investors, creating some archipelagos of wealth in commuter belt areas; whilst the broad competences of the peripheries are hollowed out. 3. Our Manchester Offshored report (and spin-off academic papers) also generated new knowledge about the structure, economics and governance of local authority joint ventures with large, overseas State, or State-adjacent, investment companies. We provided a forensic accounting analysis of the Manchester Life joint venture between Manchester City Council (MCC) and the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG). The report details how public assets, revenues, and control over key urban developments were transferred to offshore entities, raising questions of accountability, transparency, and public value. We found that Land leaseholds were sold to ADUG interests at rates below comparable transaction, that the leasehold duration granted to Manchester Life was 999 years-longer than other public land transfers we could find. We found that there was no affordable housing units in this development and no section 106 contribution. We found that although the council was a 49% stakeholder in the JV, returns from sales and rents flowed through to Jersey based entities wholly owned by ADUG interests, although the council did have an confidential overage agreement in place, where returns were unclear. This, and other questions of transparency, raised questions about transparency and accountability, and the offshoring of local democracy, which prevent the public from scrutinising the true economic impact of Manchester Life. The lack of transparency raises concerns about how decisions are made regarding public assets and urban development. |
| Exploitation Route | The report opens up new research questions. Specifically, we open up a new research frontier on growth models - where the emphasis on attracting capital and getting investment in currently ignores equally important questions about the money escaping a region in the rental or other extractive rights offered to investors. Future work could identify threshold points at which those rights become 'extractive' - that is, they reduce any putative multiplier effects that accrue to city centre agglomeration. Future work could also consider whether multipliers may become locked into circuits of capital (rents are recycled into new developments) rather than other forms of local investment and consumption (demand multipliers), as is expected in the new economic geography approach. Future work may also explore in more detail the nature of the relation between 'state capitalisms' - when large overseas state or state-adjacent investors engage local authorities in their property development aspirations. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Construction Education Environment Government Democracy and Justice |
| URL | https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/crafic/research/manchester-centripetal-city |
| Description | A. IMPACT PLAN Our impact plan focused on three levels: changing understandings, building agency and capacity and developing new models to change practice 1. Changing Understandings: - We aimed to change policy, media, educational, and public debates around urban regeneration models to create the ideational groundwork for alternative models (see below). - We did this by writing reports, educational materials, and resources to popularise our findings in the national press, with policymakers, activists, and the public. - We also developed educational materials with the Geographic Association, which were taught to A-Level students. - Our work focused on two key themes: a) Problems of extraction - that money taken out of an area through the offshore ownership of property assets prevented local multipliers from building and undermined the productivity-enhancing circulation of resources. b) Problems of centripetalism - the idea that the benefits of productivity gains did not trickle out to outlying towns in a centrifugal way, but rather, their resources, capital, and skills were pulled into urban centres, hollowing out urban peripheries. 2. Building Agency and Capacity: - We worked to build new networks for change in community housing groups for strategic planning, campaigns, and citizen mobilisation. - We achieved this through: a) 'How to' guides and other resources hosted on the Centripetal Cities webpage, including guidance on setting up and organising tenants' unions and obtaining data from local sources to perform similar analyses to ours to effect change. b) Meetings with local housing groups where we discussed our findings, explained how to access and use our toolkit resources, provided guidance, and actively participated in organising local housing action groups. We also facilitated larger network-building events to foster a movement for change. c) Focus groups and other meetings with community representatives, where we connected disparate communities and suggested forms of action via our toolkit, building on our research. - Our goal was to drive change in the national debate around urban regeneration models through the press while simultaneously building a grassroots civil society organisation for local representation and resistance, pushing for change from below. 3. Developing New Models to Change Practice: - We co-developed a new model of urban regeneration with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, building on a critique of the Manchester Model of property-led urban regeneration outlined in (1) above. - This model was based on community wealth-building principles and the idea that extraction should be limited to encourage the local circulation of resources. - The model was not merely descriptive-it was installed onto an imagined but realistic plot of undeveloped and partially developed land. - We mapped the architecture, delivery agents, financiers, and other elements. The model was also fully costed. - We engaged in discussions with a local council about using this model as the basis for a development within their urban regeneration strategy. B. IMPACT PATHWAY The central impact approach has been to change ideas, agency and practice in an integrated way, pushing from both the top (by focusing on policy makers) and the bottom (civil society organisation) simultaneously, whilst also feeding into media and education arenas to change perceptions and create conditions conducive to change. To do this we followed a particular impact pathway: i) Provide an empirically robust, compelling critique of the current model. Achieved through: the Manchester Offshored public interest report and Centripetal Cities capstone report ii) Popularise the critique within the media, academia, policy, & civil society and thus establish the current model as a problem to be solved: Media outputs: BBC2 documentary, Guardian, NYT, Independent, BBC website; Academia: EPA paper, Antipode & CPA academic papers; plus conferences; Policy liaison: CLES, West Midlands Combined Authority + others potentially; Civil society: public interest report, social media summaries + video shorts produced iii) Provide civil society organisation with the tools and resources to do their own ownership and follow-the-money analysis of their local area; & build a critical mass. Achieved through: public education programme with Greater Manchester Tenants Union (6 meetings with local groups) - two testimonies received explaining how our work changed their practice; Provision of a 'how-to toolkit' for groups wanting to analyse the ownership and organisation of their local urban development models; work with Manchester, Brighton and Dublin groups ongoing; Provision of housing resources for setting up a tenants' union + other introductory materials on the website; Co-development of educational materials with schools (via Geographical Association) and Universities (via Open University) using our findings to learn about financialization, state-led gentrification and Manchester's urban political economy; but also in the case of the latter to develop practical mapping skills for students from our database (and interactive map) on BTR. iv) Connect a network of civil society organisations to create momentum for a different model of urban regeneration via end of year workshop. v) Provide a fully-costed alternative model which would be included in a report co-developed with the Centre for Local Economic Strategy (CLES) (who are non-partisan and highly regarded in policy circles) to offer a solution to the problem. vi) Use networks of partner organisation to advocate for the alternative model and connect with policy networks/local councils via end of project meetings and workshops - in discussion with a local council who will use our model in a development. C. INNOVATIONS 1. An alternative model of urban regeneration co-produced with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES). This is geared towards providing policymakers with a new, costed, implementable model. We are in discussion with one council about using this model as the basis for the development of at least one urban site 2. An education programme, toolkit and infrastructure for housing activists who pursue alternative models of urban regeneration, working with Greater Manchester Tenants Union (GMTU). This is geared towards civil society organisations. This will involve a) DIY how-to guides which the CC website will house (complete) b) Education workshops to disseminate our research and recommendations (completed) c) Focus groups in Greater Manchester to identify key housing needs of the local citizenry (completed) d) establishing City-Wide Housing Assemblies as an enduring infrastructure for mobilising, coordinating and directing citizen voices around local housing issues and developments, creating a 'civil society bulwark' (complete) 3. A translation of our findings into teaching materials used within schools, higher education and civil society; designed to change pupil and student understandings of urban regeneration outcomes and possibilities. 4. EVIDENCE OF IMPACT We have evidence of change from testimonies within housing groups (two completed) about the impact of our Manchester Offshored report and whether it has changed perceptions and strategy. We will trace, with help from GMTU, the uptake of our arguments, toolkits and resources in generating new tenants' unions or tenant union activity, such as the building of databases elsewhere. We will measure the impact of our alternative model through CLES and their usage of that model in actual developments with local authorities. We can think of three levels of impact: 1. Achieved & have evidence via testimonials: changing grassroot understanding, organisation and practice around i) how to research and understand their local urban regeneration models and ii) how to organise and build capacity to enhance their democratic voice in the planning and development process. We have local and national evidence for this. Other testimonials are attainable. We have also had interest from local councils (eg Birmingham) about how to do the kind of analysis we did in the Manchester Offshored report. 2. Not yet achieved, but testimonials & evidencing will be possible: our education work should be impactful if it is adopted by schools into their curricula. We have agreement with the Geographical Association that they will provide data on usage of our case study. 3. Potentially high impact: we would deem our co-developed alternative regeneration model with CLES a success if a council uses this model in the development of a site or plot. In our view that would be a high impact output insofar as it would shape the built environment of a local community for many years to come. The model is in draft but has not yet been published. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2025 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Education,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice,Other |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | Council Housing All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Organisation of evidence sessions, production of launch report, survey design and data analysis for report ahead of 2024 general election. Received over 100 submissions of written evidence from local councils, tenant organisations, trade unions, NGOs and members of the public. Evidence sessions held in Rochdale, Leeds, Manchester, Luton, Crawley and two London boroughs (Islington and Southwark). FoI requests made to all English councils that retain social housing stock (42 responses). Centripetal Cities research directly contributed to sections on BTR, planning reform and investment funds in residential real estate. Final report forthcoming April/May 2025. |
| URL | https://mattwestern.org/news-article/appg-for-council-housing-inquiry/ |
| Description | Geographical Association Materials |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The report provides a forensic accounting case study of an urban development project in the northern English city of Manchester between a local authority and a globally-mobile investment firm linked to Gulf state actors. It highlights important questions about economic trade-offs and tensions that arise when a local council forms a joint venture with a private investment vehicle whose ultimate owner is also part of the governing class of an authoritarian state. It highlights questions about the UK's model of urban development, questions of transparency, accountability, value for money and ethics, and wider moral questions about the protection of public resources and local democracy. These are all themes which form part of our report, and will be converted into A-Level materials to educate a new cohort of school graduates. |
| Description | Training GMTU activists |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Housing activists, social and private rented housing tenants, civil society groups were able to understand their own localities more, undertake research of their own, and campaign on new fronts as a result of our toolkit and reports. |
| Description | briefing on land privatisation for local councillors |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | We briefed local councillors on our early stage Centripetal Cities findings. This formed part of our overall impact strategy (outlined in the narrative impact statement) of changing ideas at different levels in order to effect change |
| Description | Faculty Research Stimulation Funding |
| Amount | £11,750 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Sheffield |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 03/2024 |
| Description | Impact Grant |
| Amount | £14,200 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Sheffield |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2024 |
| End | 01/2025 |
| Description | Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship |
| Amount | £94,305 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 115968 |
| Organisation | The Leverhulme Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2024 |
| End | 09/2027 |
| Title | Researching Developers and Landlords - A Tenant's How-To Guide |
| Description | This guide provides researchers with the tools to find out information about a landlord or developer. It is often difficult to know how to find out basic information such as who holds a property, how much money they make, and what else they may own. The materials we collected provide tenants and housing campaigners with a step-by-step process for finding this information. This includes how to use Land Registry databases, navigate the planning system, and look through company accounts. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This 76 page toolkit has been used by housing activists to find out more about housing ownership in their own region |
| URL | https://tenantsunion.org.uk/news-stories/researching-developers-and-landlords.html |
| Title | Dataset on Build To Rent Developments, Developers, Financiers and Property Managers in Manchester |
| Description | This database was built by Jon Silver and Richard Goulding. It is a complete dataset of all build-to-rent developments in the central/core region of Greater Manchester. It draws on a number of different sources - planning documents, land registry data, property industry journals and other publicly available housing data. it contains data on the following variables: Planning Date Planning Reference Name of development Area Post-code Total Resi Units Tenure Model Tenure Change Status Owner Funder Deliverer Significant Institutional owners Manager Other companies Total Resi Units For sale For rent Total market Social rent Affordable rent Shared ownership Other intermediate Total affordable Est. affordable if 20% Other (student/hotel) Total units (all) Offsite s106 housing contributions Other s106 contributions Source Offshore Involvement Non-UK actors Country Role of non-UK actos Public Loan (value) Type of public loan Public Land Public Land Registry Reference Gross Development value Cost of Development Profit Local plan benchmark land value 2009 Est. EUV+ Benchmark Land Value Residual Land Value Est. Profit on Cost Est. Profit on GDV Plot size (acres) Est. Benchmark Land Cost per Acre Est. Residual Land Cost per Acre Starting Price for 1 bed Starting price for 2 bed Source Average Rental 1-bed Average Rental 2-bed Average Rental 3-bed Evidence of marketed abroad Source Est. Council tax *(based on 1-bed) Notes |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This dataset employs novel methods for locating and organising property development data which other researchers and housing activists are now emulating. |
| Title | Demographic benchmarking data for Manchester Centre, Bolton and Wigan |
| Description | This database contains data on area demographics, housing, travel etc for Manchester city centre, Bolton and Wigan. It contains the following variables: BUASDCD CFT_PLACE DEMOG_popn2002 AGE_over65pct_2002 DEMOG_popn2018 AGE_over65pct_2018 POPN_GROWTH0218 EMPLOY_workpopn01 EMPLOY_industry01pct EMPLOY_workpopn11 EMPLOY_industry11pct HOUSING_PricesSep2019 HOUSING_PriceChg_9519pct chgHPmed_1119 chgHPpct_1119 HOUSING_Homeowners HOUSING_Socialrenters HOUSING_Privaterenters HOUSING_Other EDUC_noquals EDUC_nodegree EDUC_students11pct CLASS_AB CLASS_C1 CLASS_C2 CLASS_DE TRAVEL_TimeEmpl_popn TRAVEL_TimeEmpl_ptwalk TRAVEL_TimeEmpl_car TRAVEL_TimeTown_ptwalk TRAVEL_TimeTown_car TRAVEL_TimeTrain_ptwalk TRAVEL_TimeTrain_car IMD2019 IMD2019_Income IMD2019_Employment IMD2019_Health IMD2019_Education IMD2019_AccesstoServices IMD2019_Housing IMD2019_CommunitySafety IMD2019_PhysicalEnvironment IMD2019_Crime IMD2019_HousingServices IMD2019_LivingEnvironment IMD2019_IncomeChildren IMD2019_IncomeOlderPeople chgIMD_1019 chgIMD_Income_1019 chgIMD_Emplt_1019 chgIMD_Edu_1019 chgIMD_Health_1019 chgIMD_Crime_1019 chgGDP_LA chgGDPpct_LA PUBS_Chg0118 PASSPORTS_None PAY_Chg1219_median PAY_Chg1219_mean AUTOMATION_Risk17 ASYLUM_per10000 POPULATION_Churn1819 DRUGS_Deaths1618_per100000 MIGRATION_Net1424_International MIGRATION_Net1424_WithinUK PUBS_ResidentsPerPub PUBS_PubsPerPerson ARTS_Attendance17 CITY_Edge CITY_Outer CITY_Neighbours IDENTITY_British IDENTITY_English IDENTITY_BritishEnglish IDENTITY_EU CFT_Type1 CFT_Type2 TYPE_COASTAL TYPE_RAILWAYTOWN TYPE_OLDTOWN TYPE_LARGEWOSTATION TYPE_SMALLWCAMPUS TYPE_SEASIDE TYPE_PORTTOWN TYPE_MILLTOWN TYPE_LARGEWOUNI TYPE_PLACESWCITYSTATUS TYPE_COUNTYTOWN TYPE_BARRACKTOWN ctry11cd |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This database will form the basis of our analysis of 'centripetal' and 'centrifugal' forces in the three aforementioned areas. |
| Title | Interactive Manchester Build To Rent Accounting Database |
| Description | This database provides accounting data on 61 firms involved in Build To Rent activities in the Manchester area (development, construction, financing, management). It provides data on the following variables: FIRMNAME FIRM ID SIC TIME Accounts on time Type of Accounts REVENUE GROSS PROFIT EBIT NET INTEREST PAYABLE EBT NET INCOME DEBTORS / RECEIVABLES CASH IN HAND TTL CURRENT ASSETS INVESTMENTS FIXED ASSETS/PPE TOTAL NON-CURENT ASSETS TOTAL ASSETS CURRENT LIABILITIES: CREDITORS (BANK LOANS) NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES: CREDITORS (BANK LOANS) TTL LIABILITIES TTL EQUITY PAID-IN CAPITAL RETAINED EARNINGS REVALUATION RESERVES WAGES & SALARIES TTL LABOUR COSTS FULL ACCOUNTS (1) MICRO ACCOUNTS (0) DISCLOSURE ON TIME (1) OR LATER (0) REVENUES DISCLOSED (1) REVENUES WERE NOT DISCLOSED (0) NET INC DISCLOSED (1) NET INC WERE NOT DISCLOSED (0) TTL ASSETS DISCLOSED (1) TTL ASSETS WERE NOT DISCLOSED (0) TTL LIABILITIES DISCLOSED (1) TTL LIABILITIES WERE NOT DISCLOSED (0) TTL EQUITY DISCLOSED (1) TTL EQUITY WERE NOT DISCLOSED (0) W&S REPORTED (1) W&S WERE NOT DISCLOSED (0) NIM +VE (1) NIM -VE (0) EQUITY +VE (1) EQUITY -VE (0) SUM |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The database provides insights on two key issues: i) transparency - ie whether they file full accounts (P&L plus balance sheet with full disclosure in each), whether they publish accounts on time, whether accounts are available for every year etc and ii) stability - whether the companies operate with negative net assets, profit margins, leverage ratios etc. |
| Title | Mapping Build To Rent |
| Description | Working with the Open University, we developed an interactive map that combined spatial and financial data on Manchester's Build To Rent development |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This technique is being used to teach UG economic geographers/urban studies scholars about the financialized city, as well as practical mapping skills |
| URL | https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/crafic/research/manchester-centripetal-city |
| Title | Mapping council land disposals |
| Description | We converted our database on council land disposals into a visual map |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | It formed the basis of the 'Who Owns The City' report |
| Title | Researching Developers and Landlords: A tenant's how-to guide |
| Description | We produced a guide that describes how we developed our own database on Manchester's property sector. It provides the tools to find out information about a landlord or developer. It provides citizens with the tools and guidelines about how to find out basic information such as who holds a property, how much money they make, and what else they may own. The guide provides tenants and housing campaigners with a step-by-step process for finding this information from land registry databases, documents within the planning system, and company accounts. The handbook material was developed from training workshops with the aim of holding to account people with power in our cities, towns and communities. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The handbook has only just been published, but we have interest from Who Owns Brighton and other tenants unions in our method |
| Title | Walking Tour As A Pedagogical Tool |
| Description | We used walking tours as a form of public pedagogy (see engagement). We used walking tours as a pedagogical tool with students from Sheffield Hallam, University of Leeds and Chinese University of Hong Kong to teach them about urban development and its social, financial, institutional and political context, highlighting trade-offs and tensions. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The urban walking tour in Manchester made tangible how the ownership of buildings had been off-shored to tax havens, neighbourhoods gentrified, etc in order to change the way UG geographers understood the financialised city. |
| Description | Centre for Local Economic Strategies |
| Organisation | Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Co-Production of two reports: one on the limits to a city-first, property-led urban development model; another on an alternative model for urban development built around Community Wealth Building principles. We worked on the majority of the first report, examining four core problems with Manchester's property-led model of city-regional urban development: i) a failure to capture public value in the urban development process ii) a problem with extraction which means many benefits of agglomeration are privatised and taken out of the region, reducing local multipliers and iii) the creation of new compromises and risks; which override the capacity of public infrastructure to respond to demand. iv) the production of new pressures on working class, inner-city neighbourhoods We also worked on the framing and models of alternative financing in the second report - a costed alternative model which seeks to embed centrifugal rather than centripetal circuits of investment and expenditure that empower local actors and generate positive cycles of community wealth building and social inclusion. That alternative model: a) seeks to lock-in multipliers locally, rather than seeing income flow out of the area. b) uses local supply chains where feasible, to diffuse wealth within the community as sites develop. c) involves local communities in the planning stages of new developments. d) provides mixed developments that meet local needs. e) is economically and ecologically sustainable. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The CLES team undertook a mixed-methods research study with four stages: Stage 1: Identify the case study sample bank - compile c.10 examples of urban development in recent years, to represent a cross section of development types and geographical contexts across the UK and internationally, with data and information available for review, and/or stakeholders accessible for consultation. Stage 2: Best practice review of case study sample - review available intelligence and conduct analysis of the key themes across the bank of examples - drawing out the outcomes emerging across a range of urban development models, and identifying the critical success factors for success and/or lessons learned. Stage 3: Application of CWB principles - explore how could urban development go further in building local wealth, interrogating: 1. How much money can we make stick/circulate through the area for social/local good? 2. What kinds of places do we want to build locally, how do we attract forms of finance to achieve these sustainable social and environmental considerations? 3. What type of regulatory framework do we need to consider to fully understand (e.g. measure and map) and manage extraction? Stage 4: Articulating the alternative model - establish a costed blueprint for better urban regeneration, to bring these findings to life. The model is developed on an anonymised development site (identified by the University of Sheffield research team). The model allows for flexibility in application to different typologies of place, acknowledging that better urban development cannot be 'a one size fits all' solution. We anticipate the deliverables from this study will be ready by June 2024 |
| Impact | The outputs include two multi-disciplinary reports (currently in draft). The disciplines involved include Accounting, Urban Studies, Economic Geography. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Geographical Association |
| Organisation | Geographical Association |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Provided research materials for incorporation into further education currculum material ('Hidden geographies of urban change: State-led gentrification in Manchester'). Our 'Manchester Offshored' report will form the basis of A-Level teaching materials produced by the Geographical Association for their members |
| Collaborator Contribution | The development of our work into A-Level curriculum material; plus dissemination and coordination. |
| Impact | (In draft) A level materials that draw on our Manchester Offshored report |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Open University Collaboration |
| Organisation | Open University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We constructed a virtually complete database of all BtR developments in the Manchester City Regional Centre, which contained the following information: "Planning Date Planning Reference Name of development Area Post-code Total resi units Tenure Tenure Notes Status Q1 2021 Owner Funder Deliverer Significant Institutional Owners Manager Other companies Total Resi Units For sale For rent Total market Social rent Affordable rent Shared ownership Other intermediate Total affordable Est. affordable if 20% Other (student/hotel) Total units (all) Offsite s106 housing contributions Other s106 contributions Total s106 Source Offshore Involvement Overseas finance Non-UK actors Country Role of non-UK actos Public Loan (value) Type of public loan Public Land Public Land Registry Reference Gross Development value Cost of Development Profit Local plan benchmark land value 2009 Est. EUV+ Benchmark Land Value Residual Land Value Est. Profit on Cost Est. Profit on GDV Plot size (acres) Est. Benchmark Land Cost per Acre Est. Residual Land Cost per Acre Starting Price for 1 bed Starting price for 2 bed Source Average Rental 1-bed Average Rental 2-bed Average Rental 3-bed BE Source Est. Council tax *(based on 1-bed)" This is open access and available on the Centripetal Cities Website: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/crafic/research/manchester-centripetal-city We were approached by Colin Lorne of the Geography Department at the Open University who asked if he could use this data to develop content-maps with his student cohort. This data, therefore, was used as a teaching tool at the Open University in the training of students in the use of mapping software, but also understanding processes of housing financialization in an urban centre like Manchester. Colin then personally used our data to develop interactive maps of the area, which we also now host on the Centripetal Cities website. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Colin Lorne used our database on BtR development in the Manchester City Regional Centre in teaching and training at the Open University, including the practical use of mapping software and, from a more theoretical perspective, processes of urban financialization. He then, in conversation with us and using our database again, built some interactive maps which we now host on the Centripetal Cities website. |
| Impact | 1. Greater Manchester Core Developments Database 2. Interactive 'Housing Beyond Borders' Map 3. Colin Lorne Explanation of the map all are available at the URL above. The collaboration involves an interdisciplinary relation between Accounting, Urban Studies and Geography. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | 15-Minute City: What is it and could it be good for Manchester? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Jon was interviewed by Manchester Confidential website about the 15 minute city concept |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://confidentials.com/manchester/15-minute-city-what-is-it-and-could-it-be-good-for-manchester |
| Description | ARD Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Richard was interviewed for ARD on Abu Dhabi investment in Manchester City FC |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/europamagazin/grossbritannien-wachsender-saudischer-einfluss/das-e... |
| Description | Adam Leaver & Richard Goulding interview with German TV broadcaster ARD |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | We were approached by German public broadcaster ARD to be interviewed as part of their UK reporting. They will be filming/interviewing us this week. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Adam Leaver interview with the BBC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | I was interviewed for the BBC news website about the Manchester Offshored report. Title 'Manchester City Council sold public land too cheaply, report claims' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-62266116 |
| Description | BBC2 TV Documentary |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | We were approached by the BBC to take part in a two part documentary (1hr each episode) on housing policy as a result of our 'Manchester Offshored' report. The interviews were extensive (3 hours for Adam Leaver, Jon Silver will also be interviewed). It is likely that the report will feature prominently in the documentary |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Blog - Manchester's new 'council' housing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Non-academic publication analysing Manchester's local housing development company for the Greater Manchester Housing Action website |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://www.gmhousingaction.com/council-housing-questions/ |
| Description | Briefing discussion with Shelter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Briefing on housing crisis to Shelter staff and volunteers to aid their community organising strategy |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Briefing on Manchester's housing crisis |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Meeting with members of GMTU to discuss housing development in central Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Community Voice in Planning |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Key audience: Residents and community groups belonging to the Community Savers Network Activity: Capacity building workshop with residential community groups around planning and affordable housing policy, drawing on initial research to illustrate policy processes and housing outcomes in Manchester. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://communitysavers.net/2021/01/community-voice-in-planning/ |
| Description | Conversation article on Build to Rent |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Following on from our Environment & Planning A: Economy & Space article, we wrote an explainer for The Conversation which summarised out results and argument: 'The rise of corporate landlords: how they are swallowing city centres like Manchester one block of flats at a time' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/the-rise-of-corporate-landlords-how-they-are-swallowing-city-centres-lik... |
| Description | Conversation article on land commissions |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Article for the Conversation published: 'The new enclosure: how land commissions can lead the fight against urban land-grabs' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/the-new-enclosure-how-land-commissions-can-lead-the-fight-against-urban-... |
| Description | Discussant on Paul Watt book tour (Estate Regeneration and its Discontents) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Richard was discussant for a meeting to discuss Paul Watt's recent book in Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Discussion with Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Aditya is the media partner for our project. We liaised with him to discuss the best way of disseminating our work/what stories would work and what wouldn't for him. We produced a list of potential stories that have emerged from our preliminary work. It is likely some of these will begin to be rolled out in mid/late 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Discussion with Jennifer Williams, Manchester Evening News (now Financial Times) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | We had a long phone discussion about the Manchester Life development, on which we have produced a draft report. Our strategy is to try to generate media impact for this work by engaging both notable local and national journalists. Jennifer Williams was, at that time, the star reporter for the Manchester Evening News. She expressed an interest in the report. She has now moved to the FT and is the Northern correspondent. We intend to send the report to her when our internal ethics panel has assessed our case study report. This should take no longer than one month. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Guardian article - opinion piece by Aditya Chakrabortty |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Aditya is the media partner for the project and a member of the Centripetal Cities board. We coordinated the release of our Manchester Offshored report with this opinion piece in The Guardian. By any measure it was a big success: it was the most read article online in the Guardian that day, which is highly unusual for a piece on a city outside London in the UK. Title: How a great English city sold itself to Abu Dhabi's elite - and not even for a good price |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/21/great-english-city-sold-abu-dhabis-elite-manch... |
| Description | Guest Lecture on Manchester Urbanism |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Guest lecture on Manchester urbanism for Maria Rusca, Senior Lecturer in Global Development, University of Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Guest lecture on Manchester urbanism for Maria Rusca, Senior Lecturer in Global Development, University of Manchester |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Guest lecture on Manchester urbanism for Maria Rusca, Senior Lecturer in Global Development, University of Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Interview Los Echos Weekend |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Jonathan Silver was interviewed for a multi-page feature on Manchester's regeneration process for Les Echos Week-End (https://weekend.lesechos.fr/), which is edited by Les Echos (www.lesechos.fr), France's largest business newspaper. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://weekend.lesechos.fr/ |
| Description | Interview with Manchester Evening News |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interview with Niall Griffiths of the MEN on issues arising from GMHA blog on Manchester City Council's LHA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Interview with Place North West |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | We were interviewed about the Centripetal Cities project - its aims and background assumptions. This was then summarised in the Place North West trade magazine |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/the-subplot-prs-not-btr-who-gets-levelled-up/ |
| Description | Jonathan invited and presented at the Urban Planning Annual Lectute at Newcastle University on 'When the Abu Dhabi Group came to town' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Jonathan invited and presented at the Urban Planning Annual Lectute at Newcastle University on 'When the Abu Dhabi Group came to town' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Lecture - Housing financialisation: New urban geographies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of research findings to UG students in Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Manchester Evening News article on land privatisation in Manchester |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Newpapser coverage of land privatisation research in Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchesters-1-land-deals-luxury... |
| Description | Manchester Meteor article on land privatisation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Newpapser coverage of land privatisation research in Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://themeteor.org/2021/05/12/are-council-deals-with-developers-offering-best-value-research-pape... |
| Description | Manchester Mill Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Richard was interviewed for the Mill regarding damp and mould problems on the Langley estate |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://manchestermill.co.uk/p/black-mould-freezing-homes-and-a |
| Description | Manchester Mill interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Richard was interviewed for Manchester Mill on Manchester Offshored research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://manchestermill.co.uk/p/inside-the-manchester-hotel-booked?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Frichard%252... |
| Description | Media interview on Manchester City Council's housing delivery company for Manchester Meteor |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Background discussion on implications of Manchester City Council's housing delivery company for affordability, ownership and tenure |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Meeting with Laudes Foundation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Supporters |
| Results and Impact | Meeting with Laudes Foundation, Netherlands/Switzerland to discuss potential follow-on funding opportunities with regard to our work on the built environment in Manchester. We discussed the potential Scope 3 impact on lenders whose assets portfolios (80% property-based loans) are exposed to net zero related costs. The built environment accounts for roughly 30% of all carbon emissions. We discussed the possibility of putting together a project which looked at the balance sheet exposure of banks to these carbon risks, and whether these risks were incorporated into bad loan provisions and whether they were being properly audited. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Meeting with New Economics Foundation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Meeting with Rebecca Winson to advise NEF on their development of a 5-year campaign on social housing, including engagement with policymakers and community groups |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Meeting with University of Brighton researchers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Development of financialisation research methodologies geared to general public, community groups, University of Brighton undergraduates.Meeting with Rebecca Searle of UoB to discuss potential for expanding Homes to Assets methodology beyond Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Meetings with Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | We had three meetings with CLES in 2021 and further communication through email with regard to the impact component of the project. We have developed a plan for a co-produced publication which reimagines the Manchester Life development in Manchester constructed according to community wealth building principles. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | NRC sports podcast |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Richard was interviewed for Dutch newspaper podcast NRC on Manchester Life research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2022/05/20/eerst-de-voetbalclub-dan-de-stad-overnemen-a4125122 |
| Description | New York Times article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | 'Manchester Offshored' was covered in the New York Times: 'Report Questions Links Between Manchester, the City, and Manchester City' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/sports/soccer/manchester-life-manchester-city.html |
| Description | Open University collaboration |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Our contribution: Development of database building methods using previously unused sources Open University's contribution: Collaboration with Colin Lorne of the Open University to produce mapping tools generated from our dataset to trace offshore investment in central Manchester, to be released in APR 2022 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Podcast: Urban Radar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Richard and Adam jointed the Urban Radar podcast to talk about the Centripetal City report |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://open.spotify.com/show/5Dm0m9BLwleF6f3IYjgpj4 |
| Description | Presentation and Panel Discussion |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Jon presented data and analysis on Chinese investment into Manchester as part of Chinese Investment in Manchester: Drivers, Dynamics, and Developments conference |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presentation at Action on Empty Homes seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of research findings to seminar on empty homes in Greater Manchester/the North West |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seminar-on-vacancy-and-under-utilisation-of-housing-in-greater-manche... |
| Description | Presentation of research findings to independent researchers, community groups and audit practitioners |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Audience: Independent researchers, community groups, media, academics and audit practitioners Activity: Presentation of summary findings on local government joint ventures to roundtable of independent researchers focusing on audit and transparency issues, hosted by Research for Action |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://researchforaction.uk/event-audit-accountability-failure-in-local-government-where-next-for-r... |
| Description | Presentation to FinGeo Networks, University of Leuven, Belgium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was an invited presentation to academics and activists involved in the Regional Studies 'FinGeo' network to talk about the financial networks involved in the financing of real estate assets in Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.regionalstudies.org/events/fingeo-seminars/ |
| Description | Public Workshop (1) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Our first public workshop in collaboration with GMTU in which Adam presented our Manchester Offshored report. Nick McGeehan gave a background presentation on Abu Dhabi |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Public Workshop (2) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Our second public workshop. Rich and Jon gave a training session on researching corporate landlords to members of GMTU, CATU, London Renters Union and Living Rent Scotland. Our experience from this session later informed our how-to guide as a project output |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Public Workshop (3) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Our third public workshop. Richard gave an overview of the planning system; Mike Halley gave an insider account of planning. This session equipped inner city residents with knowledge of the planning system when resisting gentrification and inappropriate PBSU development |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Public Workshop (4) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Our fourth public workshop. Nigel de Noronha (University of Manchester) gave a history of social housing and community development in Moss Side, Jon gave background context to Manchester real estate. This event acted as a forum for Moss Side residents to debate proposals for the development of the former Reno site in the context of the loss of social housing and community and cultural space |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Radio 4 Today Programme Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Richard was interviewed for the Today Programme on focus group findings with residents in an estate with severe damp and mould problems |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001v3bj |
| Description | Radio 4: File On Four Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | I had an informal hour long meeting with the File on Four team to discuss our Manchester Offshored paper, and its implications. I will meet with them again shortly to be recorded for the documentary |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Rosa interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Rosa is a Greek outlet. We provided editor in chief, Dimitris Rapidis, a briefing on the link between Abu Dhabi and Manchester in urban development. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Talksport Interview on Manchester Life report |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Richard was invited onto the White and Jordan show to discuss the Manchester Offshored report |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Telegraph Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Jonathan spoke to the Telegraph about the potential real estate factors shaping the take-over of Manchester United |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/05/24/jim-ratcliffe-qatar-takeover-man-utd-goldmine/ |
| Description | The Athletic - engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Jonathan spoke to and helped shaped the article about the role of Abu Dhabi in Manchester as part of a long peice about the Sauid PIF led take over of Newcastle and implications for the city |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://theathletic.com/4932881/2023/10/06/newcastle-saudi-city-reubens/#:~:text=Saudi%20influence%2... |
| Description | The Guardian - engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Jonathan Silver spoke to the Guardian about the role of real estate in the wider development of the new arts centre, The Factory |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/oct/18/manchesters-aviva-studios-24-hour-party |
| Description | The Independent article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Our Manchester Offshored Report was covered in The Independent: "Public land sold to Manchester City's owners on the cheap in 'sweetheart deal,' report claims" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/manchester-city-council-abu-dhabi-sheikh-mansour-b21... |
| Description | Tribune article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Authored an article in Tribune magazine: 'Newcastle's Saudi Takeover Is Just the Latest Chapter in Football Capitalism'. This magazine article drew on our research on Abu Dhabi developments in Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/10/newcastles-saudi-takeover-is-just-the-latest-chapter-in-football-ca... |
| Description | Tribune article 'The Privatisation of Manchester' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Magazine article written on our research on land privatisation in Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/05/the-privatisation-of-manchester |
| Description | Tribune article on the UK planning system |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | comment on the UK planning system, published in Tribune magazine |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/02/manchesters-fight-for-the-city |
| Description | Urban Inequalities Lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Lecture and group activities with MA Development Studies PG students in Manchester based on findings of the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Walking Tour Of Ancoats for Chinese University of Hong Kong students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Guided walking tour for Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) planning students in central Manchester with Prof. Mee Kam Ng Director, Urban Studies Programme, CUHK |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Walking tour of the financialised city |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Guest lecturer leading three walking tours of financialisation and gentrification in Ancoats, developing a teaching methodology to examine how financialisation coheres within specific urban environments |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Walking tour of the financialised city, Sheffield Hallam |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Guest lecturer leading two walking tours of financialisation and gentrification in Ancoats, developing a teaching methodology to examine how financialisation coheres within specific urban environments |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Walking tour of the financialised city, Uni of Leeds |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Guest lecturer leading a walking tour of financialisation and gentrification in Ancoats, developing a teaching methodology to examine how financialisation coheres within specific urban environments |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Who Owns Brighton Engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A launch event for a new initiative in Brighton based on our work in Manchester that seeks to research, question and challenge housing financialisation in the city. Jonathan Silver gave an overview of our research approach, key issues in the city and the ways in which communities address these challenges |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Workshop on land privatisation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Briefing workshop on land privatisation for Labour Members in Manchester |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |