Manchester is one the world's most iconic cities. Not only was it the first industrial city, it can claim to be the first post-industrial city. This book uses historic maps and unpublished and original plans to chart the dramatic growth and transformation of Manchester as it grew rich on its cotton trade from the late 18th century, experienced periods of boom and bust through the Victorian period, and began its post-industrial transformation in the 20th century. The Peterloo Massacre, the Bridgewater Canal, the railway revolution, Trafford Park industrial estate, the Ship Canal, Belle Vue theme park, Wythenshawe garden city, the 1996 IRA bomb, Coronation Street, iconic football stadiums, and MediaCity are just some of the events and places that have put Manchester on the world's perceptual map and are explored through a wealth of published and unpublished maps and plans in this sumptuously illustrated cartographic history.

Virtually every city-region in West and Central Europe has developed policies and strategies to attract, retain and encourage creative industries and knowledge-intensive services. Since most of these citiy-regions tend to see a creative knowledge economy as 'the best bet for the future', one of the main goals of such policies and strategies is increasing the international competitiveness of their city-region. Using the cities of Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Helsinki, Leipzig, Manchester, and Munich as case studies, this book explores the spatial, economic, historical, socio-demographic, socio-cultural and political conditions that may determine whether a city-region is or can become attractive for creative and knowledge-intensive companies, and for the talented people working for or founding these companies. A comparison of the case studies and an overview of the key findings, similarities and differences which lead to policy recommendations as well as suggested directions for further research will make this book attractive to urban and regional academics, planners and students.

Global climate and the effects of global warming are commanding unprecendented interest as climates grow more dynamic and changeable. How does global warming change patterns of climate? Why is the weather and climate of the British Isles so variable? Regional Climates of the British Isles presents a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the diverse climate of the British Isles. Examining the ways in which regional climates evolve from the interplay of meteorological conditions and geography of the British Isles, leading climatologists provide detailed explanations of the climatic characteristics of eleven regions of the British Isles. Climatic distinctiveness and local weather contrasts are described for each region, together with a summary of climatic data from 1961 to the present. Reviewing the history and causes of climatic change and evaluating regional models, Regional Climates of the British Isles offers an important analysis of climatic variations. Examining future climatic change and its likely consequences, the authors acknowledge the need for regionally diverse responses to the greenhouse effect.

A critical look at regional development and governance, examining the causes of the South-East domination and comparing each region in terms of its characteristics and its experience of devolution.

Based on cases and interviews in Britain, Europe and the United States, this book explains the recurrence of regional planning and of initiatives in regional governance, in a wide range of advanced industrial countries. Providing an analysis of the nature of regional planning and governance, the book traces the development of regional planning and the institutions associated with it. It also looks at the way that regions have been changing their form under pressure from economic and political developments and examines how regional planning and governance has responded, comparing experience in the UK, the rest of Europe and the US. In concluding that regionalism is an imperative feature of politics in most countries, associated with almost any of the variety of forms of governance, the author offers a major appraisal of the significance of regional planning in an intemational context

This report examines the Netherland’s new Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam-The Hague (MRDH), drawing on lessons from governance reforms in other OECD countries and identifying how the MRDH experience could benefit policy makers beyond Dutch borders.