Regions for Economic Change:Improved regions for businesses and citizens

ATTRACTIVE CITIES FOR GROWTH AND JOBS

Lesley ChalmersChief Executive, English Cities Fund

8 March 2007

Attractive cities for jobs and growth

Key issues:

• place-making• quality and distinctiveness • strategic integration – social, economic, physical• long-term thinking• innovation• collaboration• leadership and confidence

Barcelona conference June 2006 –“The region without the city is like the car without the engine”

The most successful European cities manage their affairs somewhere between the city and regional level –eg skills, connectivity, environment and sustainability…

UK: Regional Economic Disparity

• north v. south

• investment gap in provincial cities = overheating in the south east, market failure in the north

• State of the Cities report 2006: urban policy

• regional policy increasingly important: RGOs, RDAs, DCLG, Treasury, budget process

• Core Cities working together

• the ‘Northern Way’ initiative, 2004

• collaboration in a global economy:

- transportation- employment- communication- trading- culture

Cities are Crucial

• cities are drivers of economic growth

• cities can improve their performance

• successful economic performance is directly linked to the attractiveness of places – ie. their being places people want to be in

• importance of locational dimension to business planning

Making Places

The basic characteristics of sustainable and successful places with strong, vibrant mixed communities are:

• a mix of well-integrated uses

• a range of tenures, both residential and commercial, to encourage social and economic cohesion and opportunity

• residential density sufficient to encourage sustainable mixed development and bring basic amenities within walking distance

• well connected streets and spaces that do not favour vehicular use

• high quality of urban design and architecture

• input from local stakeholders in the planning, design and management of the area

Getting Density Right

Of the 20 largest cities in the world London ranks 19th (4,028 p/sq km)- only Los Angeles is less dense, with 3,525 p/sq km- Paris is twice as dense, with 7,797 p/sq km

Barcelona - 400 dwellings/ hectareBloomsbury - up to 200 dwellings/ hectare

critical mass + walkability= successful local services/facilities= economic viability= character, sense of place= quality of life

London Paris Barcelona New York...Hulme?

Hulme, Manchester – late 1960s

Hulme, Manchester - today

English Cities Fund – investment criteria

• Assisted Areas: town and city centres and/or fringes, with latent potential

• strategic as well as implementation role

• area-based; mixed use; high quality

• place-making; step change• part of a broader strategy• involvement from the beginning• long-term involvement

Attractive cities for growth and jobs…what next?

• continue to take their growth seriously: the potential benefits are enormous

• endeavour to understand better what works and what doesn’t – UK Core Cities Working Group > Europe > beyond

• confront outdated and pessimistic views on potential of communications technologies

• collaborate rather than compete

• use our assets wisely - manage the process to ensure maximum economic development benefits – clustering, leadership, local labour markets

• make better places – sustainable communities, not just housing estates and business parks

Attractive cities for growth and jobs?

•places, not just buildings

•quality, not just style

•value, not just cost

Contact:

lesley.chalmers@englishcitiesfund.co.ukwww.englishcitiesfund.co.uk

think…