The Rentier City takes a geographical approach to arguing against the latest form of neoliberal conquest sweeping Manchester. Hinged on the concept of rentierism, something which writer Isaac Rose argues has been an undercurrent in the shaping of the city we see today, the book makes a wider warning about cities in the UK at large. Published by Repeater Books, the book makes its case by charting the Manchester story from the end of industrialisation to the present day, via historical examples of resistance, class struggle, racial equality, politically managed decline and Manchester’s obsession with memorialising certain aspects of its history.
Ardwick triumphs against the Monster – for now
Brunswick estate residents celebrate stay of execution as council planning committee resolves to inspect £450m Upper Brook Street development site
Block To Block: a film asking who really benefits from Manchester’s property boom
Joe Malamed’s new film looks at the effects of property investment in Manchester on the people who actually live here.
Castlefield Viaduct: Manchester’s new park in the sky could transform the city – but who will benefit?
This week’s guest article is by Ian Mell, Reader in Environmental & Landscape Planning at the University of Manchester. He considers the possible impact of the city’s new sky park, and whether the benefits will be enjoyed by all Mancunians.
March and protest in remembrance of Peterloo to oppose tower set to threaten massacre landmark
The events of the 1819 Peterloo massacre still echo in politics today, with our right to protest, strike and protect our city’s heritage under threat from elites. This year’s commemorations feature speakers, music, a talk on media democracy – and a protest to save the historic Britons Protection pub from developers.
Why I joined the Green Party
The Manchester Green Party stands for climate and social justice — unlike Manchester Labour.
The new enclosure: how land commissions can lead the fight against urban land-grabs
In 2020, Liverpool became the first city in England to set up a land commission. Researchers Jonathan Silver & Tom Gillespie track the widespread enclosure and privatisation of public land in preceding decades and highlight the power of democratic decision-making to force developments to serve the communities they are built in. When Boris Johnson sold […]
Placemaking Piccadilly – the community campaign challenging Manchester’s development agenda
Glittering tower blocks continue to grow across the city, alongside stacks of food crates catering to the increasing number of people dependent on them.
The Placemaking Piccadilly campaign wants to create a more inclusive way of developing the city, which focuses on ‘participation not consultation’ to allow marginalised communities to be heard.
Britons Protection calls for help to fight Heineken takeover and 26-storey development next door
The 200 year-old much loved Manchester pub built close to the site of the infamous Peterloo Massacre faces a double-jeopardy threat to its future as Heineken brewery refuses to renew its owner’s license, and a controversial 26 storey skyscraper towering over the pub threatens to blot out the sky for pubgoers.
Will Hulme Hippodrome be saved from the wrecking ball to become a creative community space?
Manchester’s cultural venues face an uncertain future as the relentless march of new towering apartment and office blocks progresses unabated. Developers have their eye on the Hulme Hippodrome, a venue steeped in Manchester’s illustrious musical heritage.
Gary Roberts speaks to Oli Wilson about the campaign to save the theatre.