ABSTRACT
In the late 18th century, Manchester rose to international fame as the centre of the pioneering industrial region of Lancashire. In administrative terms, Manchester is located in the North West Region. The new governance approach in Manchester was amongst others inspired by cities on the US North-eastern coast like Boston and Baltimore. Manchester's city marketers still have an irresistible tendency to present their city as a top-rank global city. In its City Region Development Plan, Manchester City-Region has specified 5 sectors as 'key accelerator sectors'. Remarkably, manufacturing is one of them despite its continuous decrease throughout most of the 20th century. The demise of the British Empire and the national and international economic restructuring process eventually resulted in a deep and structural crisis of the entire city-regional economy. According to the head of the Manchester Digital Development Agency, Manchester has meanwhile become a dynamic place for new industries.
