Liverpool Super City

14052 Views 155 Replies 21 Participants Last post by Babaloo, Jul 1, 2009

design_man

Discussion Starter · Jun 12, 2009

http://www.regen.net/news/ByDiscipl.../Study-forecasts-three-northern-super-cities/

"Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool are set to become UK "super cities" - leading economic powers in the country - over the next 20 years, along with London and Brighton in the South, according to a study"....more in the link

An interesting sounding study according to this report. I've looked at the authors on their website, and they are proper futuroligists, who are paid very good money by major brands and companies to advise on the future. They are not stale old local economic analysts with a degree in economics who can't see beyond the next shift-share analysis or tendencious argument about how agglomeration theory only benefits one city in the north.

The problem with so much trend analysis is that it assumes that everything that has happened before will happen again. The weak will always get weaker, the strong will always get stronger, the big will get bigger, the small will get smaller. But urbanists, geographers, economists, historians and...actually everyone....knows that is the one thing that is never going to happen. Things do not go along the same course. It's a bit of a shame that neighbours, rather than seeing how they can benefit from proximity to the emerging global brand that is Liverpool, insist only that it should be them. How parochial and myopic.

On this forum people have been eloquent about the "special" ingredient that will propel Liverpool into a better future. It's a creative, edgey, daring, innovative, risk-taking and humane city. It's not a boring administrative centre with tidy politics, it's not a consensual or always co-operative place - and it has the politics that any exciting and vibrant urban commune should possess.

I will try to get hold of the report, I've only read the Regeneration and Renewal summary of it.

1 - 20 of 156 Posts

Tony Sebo

· #2 · Jun 12, 2009 (Edited)

It's all bollocks really, but here goes;

it does not matter how edgy, creative or talented the people of the city are unless we have some outlets for the talent...so, we need to be able to have a crack at this media malarky, without soviet regulations stopping this?

It needs to remember that the most important cue from its past it has to build on is its global position, reconnect with the Americas whilst campaigning for the links that will help us to play what part we can as first landfall to Europe.

Enterprise focus

Graduate retention (opens up a massive can of worms)

Metropolitan autonomy, then we can craft our own glories or make our own **** ups.

Cherguevara

· #3 · Jun 12, 2009

Here is a google cached copy of the report.

It seems to have bought a bit whole heartedly into that turn of the millenial bollocks that 'new technology has rendered geography irrelevant'.

Another weird thing is the knowledge hubs they identify as knowledge specialists in certain areas do not (with the exception of London) carry across to the cities they have identified as being 'Super', which is odd because they define a "Super City" as being one "because of their proximity to the one thing that does not depend on natural resources: knowledge".

It reads like something that is being skewed by a small number of very strong survey responses or a bad sampling strategy. What you can take from it is that the cities that are successful in the future will be those that combine entrepreneurial attitudes and investment in the knowledge based industries.

Tony Sebo

· #4 · Jun 13, 2009

Good points. The disconnect between Liverpool's universities and the work of the city around them is quite breathtaking. It is quite impossible for most of the graduates in the good courses to get a job and stay in the city. They ahve also bought the Capital of Culture is a major economic driver BS as well.

As Gareth pointed out below, it is also dangerous to make long term projections on recent statistics. We know to our cost how these things are irrelevant, most of them projecting short term declines into decadal maeltdown!

STUBBY

· #5 · Jun 13, 2009

Given that I haven't read it right thorough in detail, partly because I lost the will to live after a few minutes, but if knowledge is supposed to be the driver for "super" status how is it that Cambridge and Oxford are not in the running but Brighton is?

I have no doubt missed the point of the report and no doubt some wag will point that out in no uncertain terms!

Still I'm easily confused you know.

Liverpool Playboy

· #6 · Jun 13, 2009 (Edited)

Tony Sebo said:
It needs to remember that the most important cue from its past it has to build on is its global position, reconnect with the Americas

The point was that knowledge based industries are not geographically tied down. They like to be in nice places to live with good transport comms in case. I know one company with a computer setup in Bangor. 20 years ago they would not have have been in Bangor and most prob in the Thames Valley.

Liverpool Playboy

· #7 · Jun 13, 2009

Cherguevara said:
What you can take from it is that the cities that are successful in the future will be those that combine entrepreneurial attitudes and investment in the knowledge based industries.

Attractive to live in cities is the key, with easy to get to national parks around - which London does not have. Try getting 1000s of graduates around the country to live in West Hartlepool.

Cherguevara

· #8 · Jun 13, 2009

Tony Sebo said:
Good points. The disconnect between Liverpool's universities and the work of the city around them is quite breathtaking. It is quite impossible for most of the graduates in the good courses to get a job and stay in the city. They ahve also bought the Capital of Culture is a major economic driver BS as well.

As Gareth pointed out below, it is also dangerous to make long term projections on recent statistics. We know to our cost how these things are irrelevant, most of them projecting short term declines into decadal maeltdown!

To be fair though Tony those relationships can (and should) be improved.

And for a place like Liverpool cultural investment may be helpful. The recent Manchester Economic Review suggested that while these activities have marginal direct economic impact, they do play a role in attracting and retaining a skilled and educated population.

Tony Sebo

· #9 · Jun 13, 2009

You're right on both points Che, that is one of the asons I go on about media all the time. It is absolutely vital that the city plays a role in this vital cultural medium, as it facilitates other creative sectors, as well as providing a platform for promoting the city's news, image and creative output... without it you are basically a talent provider for other places, with not a lot of the raw stuff gaining traction (new nulabour buzzwords!) in future years.

Babaloo

· #10 · Jun 15, 2009

I take all these reports with a pinch of salt. Every few months some think-tank or other comes up with a new combination of 'world class' cities, woteva. I guess these academics or whatever they are have to publish something to justify their salaries and keep the gravy train a-rolling and the conference junkets a-buzzing.

Not to be cynical or anything.

So successful cities need targeted investment, and a well-educated workforce etc.

Go on. You're kidding me. Who'd have thought.

Awayo

· #11 · Jun 15, 2009

Quite. One considered report states that Liverpool has no future whatsoever and should be depopulated immediately (that "paedo" guy's one from last year). Months later another highly considered report suggests that the same city is a "super city" of the future. :nuts:

Liverpool Playboy

· #12 · Jun 15, 2009

Awayo said:
Quite. One considered report states that Liverpool has no future whatsoever and should be depopulated immediately (that "paedo" guy's one from last year). Months later another highly considered report suggests that the same city is a "super city" of the future. :nuts:

The "paedo" was a part of a semi-political "think tank". The second was a hard nosed research organization used by big business. HSBC commissioned the report, not a political party (Tory) as was the "paedo's". With the "paedo's" I had the impression the Tory party gave them the conclusion and said fill the top in to justify the conclusion - which he hopelessly got wrong.

Awayo

· #13 · Jun 15, 2009

The Conservative party rubbished the report's conclusions. Bigging up Manchester and denigrating Liverpool is much more New Labour than Tory.

A curiosity: the only Liverpool-born or Merseyside resident MEP for the "regional" constitutency is that Tory lady who lives in the Wirral.

Tony Sebo

· #14 · Jun 15, 2009

and the UKIP fellow.

Liverpool Playboy

· #15 · Jun 15, 2009 (Edited)

Awayo said:
The Conservative party rubbished the report's conclusions. Bigging up Manchester and denigrating Liverpool is much more New Labour than Tory.

The Tories commissioned the report. When public reaction was scathing it then distanced itself from it. Cameron was in Barrow at the time and rubbished it and had never read it. Tory Central Office had told him to slag it as it got instant bad media.

Manchester has made great strides and deserves recognition for its achievements. The government did. I know nothing of this government denigrating Liverpool.

Liverpool blames others for its own ineptitude at times. The iconic Brunswick Quay Tower was rejected by incompetent Liverpool councilors. That would have been built 3 or 4 years ago and would have been a catalyst for quality developments around the south docks, transforming the area. The draft for the UNESCO required planning guidance document states that the south end docks is fine for talls. If the document was put together when it should have been, 5 or 6 years ago, we would have had the world-class tower. All ineptitude by Liverpool.

Awayo

· #16 · Jun 15, 2009

Tony Sebo said:
and the UKIP fellow.

Cripes. You're right. I've had a google and the chap's from Bootle! And he's the party chairman. Strange business.

The people of Liverpool really need to wise up and stop returning four Labour MPs every election.

Awayo

· #17 · Jun 15, 2009

Liverpool Playboy said:
The Tories commissioned the report.

No they didn't. Although the right-wing think tank that wrote the report has links to the Conservative party.

Awayo

· #18 · Jun 15, 2009

I note that these UKIP characters are the only significant party that promises to totally abolish the "regional" level of government. Kudos for that at least.

http://www.ukip.org/media/pdf/constitution.pdf

Liverpool Playboy

· #19 · Jun 15, 2009

Awayo said:
The people of Liverpool really need to wise up and stop returning four Labour MPs every election.

They are wise as the Labour party has been an amazing success over 12 years, and they should return them.

Tony Sebo

· #20 · Jun 15, 2009

Awayo said:
I note that these UKIP characters are the only significant party that promises to totally abolish the "regional" level of government. Kudos for that at least.

http://www.ukip.org/media/pdf/constitution.pdf

because the regions are a Euro initiative. Lots of people overlook that. Westminster came up with the particulr shape of them, but they stem from the EU's long term 'Europe of the regions'...i.e supranational, post national utopia we are bound for.

Liverpool has no role to play in this eurostatist/nulabour wankfest.

John... they will kill us stone dead!

1 - 20 of 156 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.