Manchester Skyline

[Scottie Dog]

An absolutely stunning photo of Manchester city centre in spectacular light. Courtesy of jrb on SSC

http://instagr.am/p/CJom9f1A2eI/

 

[Brum X]

Brum X in Manchester

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[Aviador]

@Brum X How does Brum compare with Manchester in your opinion ?

 

[Brum X]

@Brum X How does Brum compare with Manchester in your opinion ?

It pains me to say this but Manchester is kicking Brum's Ass, our council and developers need to work closer together as whilst Brum as done wonders to correct some of the mistakes made in the 1960s/70s the central core is still not being expanded beyond the traditional city centre. Birmingham still has large swathes of undeveloped brownfield sites still not touched so the city centre feels and looks tiny by comparison. I travelled on the tram from Piccadilly gardens to Media City UK and you have continuous development going on between Manchester and Salford, cranes everywhere. You come back to Brum and it feels like the City centre stops at certain points and nothing major is currently being done to address this. Don't get me wrong there are some top class developments going up in Birmingham City Centre but once you leave the central core the city becomes rundown with very little going on, by now the city centre should be expanding outwards in all directions.

My hope for Brum is that developers are waiting for Hs2 to start proper, however it has started proper so whats with the slow pace of construction, who knows. I am sure we will get there but for somebody who loves my city it feels like we are dragging our heels as per usual.

 

[Aviador]

Thanks @Brum X it's an interesting insight. When I visit Manchester and make similar comparisons with Leeds. You can see some things that Manchester excels in and other things Leeds does better. Public transport is definitely not one of the things Leeds excels in.

 

[Scottie Dog]

Courtesy of #jrb on SSC.

For help with orientation Deansgate/Chester Rd run from the bottom right diagonally upwards the 10 o'clock position and the A57(M) is the dual-carriageway round to the right - photo basically facing east.

This is the Greater Jackson Street area.

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[rollo]

Whenever I see photos of city centres with all the modern developments which generally look impressive I'm always drawn to the older buildings particularly the churches (I'm not religious at all) and especially in my own city of Birmingham with its Town Hall they just stand out as brilliant architecture.

 

[Scottie Dog]

A further update from @jrb on SSC

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and just as a follow up from Rollo's comment

Band on the Wall - Swan Street, The Northern Quarter

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[Brum X]

Love the Manchester skyscrapers, my kind of town

 

[Scottie Dog]

A new photo taken from the SSC forum

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[Scottie Dog]

Originally posted by @jrb on SSC

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[Scottie Dog]

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[Ianbutty]

It pains me to say this but Manchester is kicking Brum's Ass, our council and developers need to work closer together as whilst Brum as done wonders to correct some of the mistakes made in the 1960s/70s the central core is still not being expanded beyond the traditional city centre. Birmingham still has large swathes of undeveloped brownfield sites still not touched so the city centre feels and looks tiny by comparison. I travelled on the tram from Piccadilly gardens to Media City UK and you have continuous development going on between Manchester and Salford, cranes everywhere. You come back to Brum and it feels like the City centre stops at certain points and nothing major is currently being done to address this. Don't get me wrong there are some top class developments going up in Birmingham City Centre but once you leave the central core the city becomes rundown with very little going on, by now the city centre should be expanding outwards in all directions.

My hope for Brum is that developers are waiting for Hs2 to start proper, however it has started proper so whats with the slow pace of construction, who knows. I am sure we will get there but for somebody who loves my city it feels like we are dragging our heels as per usual.

I have been reading Richard Vinen's Second City the Making of Birmingham and it provides some very useful insights into the greatness (and woes) of each city. The author rather ignores London, but looks at the different path Birmingham took to the great Northern Cities. Brum, at least initially, less driven by profit and big business and more by social welfare and philanphropy (Joseph Chamberlain, says it all). Its prosperity grew through the growth of a highly skilled workforce in small family run businesses, as opposed to a lower skilled big factory approach in Manchester. Mr Vinen boldly concludes that if Engels had lived in and studied Birmingham and not Manchester, he would have reached a different view point. How the world may have been different.

Both worked in different ways, but what strikes me that the history of both still pervades. Although Birmingham lost its way post war when it became about big business and profit...and the car, it has never regained a sense of direction and plods through life.

Manchester also had it decline, but has risen a lot higher and higher ambition that is very extroverted. Birmingham quietly gets on with being introverted, summarised by the 'blimey we are good after all' shock of hosting the Commonwealth Games this year. It dripped with humbleness, gratitude and emerging self belief. I cannot imagine Manchester being like that: more confident, ambitious and worldly.

Reading your summary BrumX, I can see how Manchester is currently evolving, to the approach in Birmingham. History teaches us a lot.

Both great cities. One I still call home (Brum), the other I sometimes wish home could emulate (including Man City! Grrr). But both can work together and learn from one another.

 

[Aviador]

Busy in Manchester this evening

 

[JENNYJET]

Whilst I like what is happening in my home town of Birmingham, I have to commend Manchester and it's evolving skyline. Some quirky architecture amongst the heritage, a city going places.

 

[Scottie Dog]

An update of the Manchester skyline - courtesy of @mileymc1 on SSC

 

[Aviador]

Very impressive indeed. There was a time probably a good 15 years or so ago when I thought Manchester and Leeds were level pegging skyline wise but Manchester has most definitely won now.

 

[Brum X]

Manchester looks awesome, I must visit again soon

 

[Scottie Dog]

Some stunning views of Manchester as it continues it's regeneration.

 

[Scottie Dog]