Abstract

Introduction

As the Mancunion skyline continues to elevate, a lifetime resident of Manchester recently remarked upon the starkness of Beetham Tower upon its construction in 2006. Contemporary urbanisation of Manchester now integrates the formerly singular skyscraper into a variegated skyline consisting of monolithic steel and glass towers.

The motivation for writing this dissertation arose from my personal experience of living and renting in Manchester, tracking the gradual changes in and around the city have suddenly materialised in a skyline unimaginable by residents 10 years prior as neighbourhood regeneration continues to sweep through formerly disused and derelict districts. The city begins to resemble London as these monoliths pierce the brick and mortar fabric, replacing narrow streets with open boulevards lined with bright commericality, continuing to enclose the city as they rise, binding urban programmes through intensified categorisation and hierarchisation.

For some, the emergence of these skyscrapers are a sign of the city’s success yet but this perceived success is achieved through dispossession and displacement of previous socioeconomic orders. Should city governance result in the erasure of its own fabric in favour of finance? And what is the true cost of unceasing urbanisation? As finance continues to dominate, and mediate our daily experiences, to what end should we be investigating the sources of finance propelling contemporary urbanisation?

Deploying a case study for the consolidation of global theories pertaining to neo-marxist urbanist thought and political ecology, the locale of Manchester and more specifically Ancoats, is utilised due to the architectural contrast of pre and post-crisis development. In addition, the formation of Manchester Life exemplifies actions of a Capitalist State in perpetuation of financialisation and reveals the alamaringly undemocratic processes that a public body are practicing in order to pursue an agenda of ‘success’. The case study is Manchester Life, a Public - Private Partnership between Manchester City Council, and Abu Dhabi Royalty, Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, owner of the Manchester City Football Club since 2014. (Jupp: 2014). This actor’s prevalence in the financialisation of Manchester was starkly revealed on the