Reinventing cities in a restructuring region? The rhetoric and reality of renaissance in Liverpool and Manchester

This chapter compares the restructuring and renaissance of the cities of Liverpool and Manchester, England. It evaluates the extent to which the effectiveness of the structures and processes of urban governance had an independent impact on the economic, social, and environmental fortunes of these two cities. The findings indicate that these two cities both suffered from major economic decline and job loss and both underperformed relative to the national economy as a whole. However, Manchester had recently been able to capitalise more effectively on opportunities to boost its competitive strength.