Against the Manchester Model
The last 20 years have seen Manchester become the poster city of neoliberal urbanism with a dressing of radical chic. It’s time to consider how we got here – and how we take it back from the developers.
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Isaac Rose is an organiser for the Greater Manchester Tenants Union. He is currently working on a book on Manchester's neoliberal development regime for Repeater Books.
The last 20 years have seen Manchester become the poster city of neoliberal urbanism with a dressing of radical chic. It’s time to consider how we got here – and how we take it back from the developers.
From 2016 to 2020, more than 250 whole properties were added each year to Airbnb listings in Manchester – a city with thousands on its housing waiting list.
For most people, reports of tenant bidding wars for rental properties are proof of a broken housing system. For landlords, they’re proof of that system working exactly as intended.
The Court of Appeal has blocked a plan by Manchester City Council to build a 440-space car park on a site local activists are campaigning to turn into a green space – it could mark a turning point in the struggle for a city that works for all.
Hundreds of thousands of renters face unaffordable arrears on top of their runaway housing costs. Delaying evictions isn’t a solution – it’s time to campaign for write-offs.
The huge crowds of activists turned out by Manchester Momentum across the North West during this campaign is testament to their efforts to build a popular social base.
The Salford Community Theatre is building experiments in collective power, one play at a time.