Thursday 29 March 2012

Manchester (by the Ed)

"We do things differently here". Who said this about Manchester? I'll tell you later.

The third year students on the BSc Real Estate Management have gone to Manchester this week. The field trip is part of the Real Estate Integrative Project module and they will also be working towards their Professional Practice Test (PPT) in Manchester as part of the module. The PPT is a step towards membership of the RICS, the world's leading professional body for qualifications and standards in land, property and construction. Take a look at the RICS website for more information on the PPT.

Enough. More about Manchester please. Manchester is a great city in lots of ways: the architecture, the industrial heritage, the urban regeneration, the football and the people. Apparently many of the students come from the South of England and are being taken North to get some experience of a Great Northern City. Being from the North myself, I am a frequent visitor to Manchester and have been lucky enough to see the fantastic redevelopment of the centre following the bombing of the city in 1996. The students are in for a real treat.

They are staying in the Britannia Hotel which is grade II listed and one of the best known architectural buildings in Manchester. This is also the setting for the PPT.

Britannia-Hotel Manchester by norbert_blech
Britannia Hotel - photo by Norbert Blech via Flickr

As well as architecture and redevelopment, the arts scene is Manchester is amazing. The 1980s and 90s saw the rise of Madchester with the opening of the famous Hacienda, and the birth of Factory Records all set against a backdrop of some of the best music of the time (this music link goes to the final live performance of Sit Down by James - in Manchester of course). Many people hold Anthony Wilson responsible for this period in Manchester's development and it is his quote that I started this blog with. His story is told in the film 24 Hour Party People.

If you are interested in the regeneration taking place in Manchester there is so much out there. Just google it. To get you started have a look at the links below:

A Tale of Two Cities. A research report about regeneration in Manchester and Osaka by OISD here at Oxford Brookes.
New East Manchester. The company set up in 1999 to lead the regeneration of East Manchester.
Manchester City Council. Information and images of regeneration around the city.

That's it from me - look out for the full report on the field trip after Easter.

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