GM2080:
A new vision for Manchester

by Alun

The future is going to be less about nation states and more about the power of cities and metro regions. The most liveable cities will attract the best talent, investment and resources.

Delivering excellent and liveable places around integrated transit and development is a major aim for many cities. Not only does this approach have significant positive impacts on life quality, it is also a key consideration in the investment decisions of institutions and developers.

Greater Manchester is one of Europe’s fastest growing metropoleis with a population set to exceed three million by 2040. A further 200,000 new homes and 180,000 jobs are needed to sustain this level of growth. In 2018 the GM2080 Think Tank was established, a partnership between Broadway Malyan, Skanska, engineering consultancy WSP and GL Hearn (part of Capita plc) with the aim of developing a data-driven methodology to unlock the dormant potential of Greater Manchester’s transit hubs and town centres.

Value, Health, Future communities. GM2080 identity

The logo for Greater Manchester 2080

Aims

Through innovative urban regeneration and a focus on the creation of transport-orientated communities, this new approach can help: deliver 100,000+ new urban homes across Greater Manchester; reimagine town centres as vibrant destinations; provide accessible social infrastructure that serves mixed-use communities; employ existing rail infrastructure to maximise connectivity between city facilities; better integrate employment, residents, culture and lifestyle; generate long‑term revenue opportunities for local authorities through better collaboration between private and public sectors; and create dynamic urban regeneration business plans.

Analysis

After a baseline assessment of all 94 Greater Manchester train stations, the Think Tank analysed the 10 ‘tier-two’ stations with the greatest potential for growth using the Transport Orientated Communities (TOC) matrix tool that Broadway Malyan has used on strategic development projects around the world.

This analysis covered four key areas: 

  • Performance: residential and employment density, housing diversity and mix of uses
  • Accessibility: 30-minute catchments,
    population and employment, walkability
  • Opportunity sites: identification of brownfield sites and publicly owned land parcels
  • Indicators of potential: land value, levels of deprivation and unemployment, levels of education.

Outcome

“The recent commitment by the Metro Mayor to review the region’s spatial strategy, combined with the arrival of high speed rail in the next 15 years, offers Greater Manchester a huge opportunity to move towards a strategic metropolitan vision that meets the region’s growth aspirations. Our analysis showed that the majority of Greater Manchester’s station areas are well below the UN Habitat recommendation of 150 people per hectare for sustainable urban communities. We have identified areas with the strongest development opportunities, and are working with a number of stakeholders to complete a pilot scheme that we hope will be the first transit focused settlement in the region.”

– Danny Crump, Director of Urbanism, Broadway Malyan

Related Content

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience to deliver to you the best quality browsing experience. Accept Cookie policy