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Manhattanchester

BBC Radio 4 - Manhattan-chester

Manchester's skyline is transforming - but what lies behind a radical change?

Unprecedented residential building in Manchester is happening - very high up. Nine towers of over 25 storeys have appeared in the past three years, so what's fuelling the change?

According to the consultants Deloitte, Manchester is one of the fastest growing residential downtown areas in Europe. 

Twenty-five years ago, few people lived in the centre of the city. But now, an inner city population boom is being fuelled by young professionals who are happy to live in one of the nine towers higher than 25 storeys which have gone up in the past three years alone.

And there are more to come. 

The design expert Mark Ovenden investigates just how an explosion of residential high rise living is transforming Manchester, he meets the young people at the heart of the change, and one of the architects making it happen. 

Along the way, he hears from people who believe the city could be taking an enormous gamble - and learns how Manchester is doing something quite different to other parts of the UK. It's drawing developers in with a £300m investment  fund comprised of Northern Powerhouse money to offer loans to incentivise developers to get building. 

Presented by Mark Ovenden
Produced by Kev Core

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