Economy

Rethinking prosperity? This could be the conference for you

In Economy and Society on 29.09.2013
Contributed by Steve Connor

Event alert: a one-day conference is being held at MERCi’s Bridge 5 Mill in November to explore alternative ways to shape our local economy and measure progress beyond the narrow confines of Gross Domestic Product

Mapping the Urban Knowledge Arena report

In Economy, Education, Living and Society on 25.09.2013
Contributed by Beth Perry

We need the integration of existing knowledge as much as new knowledge and need to reclaim the right to the city for those that work and live within it. Beth Perry introduces a report from the Greater Manchester Local Interaction Platform based on a series of collaborative, cross-sectoral activities in 2012.

Greater Manchester - the Natural Capital

In Economy, Green & blue spaces and Nature on 25.09.2013
Contributed by Mark Hillsdon

Manchester today staged an event looking at the future of natural capital, with an emphasis on the measures being taken to protect biodiversity within the Greater Manchester conurbation.

Investing in green growth for Greater Manchester

In Economy, Energy and Society on 16.09.2013
Contributed by Mark Atherton

A low carbon economy is one of the principle goals in the forthcoming, updated Greater Manchester Strategy. Here Mark Atherton introduces the Greater Manchester Low Carbon Hub, its priorties, programmes and governance arrangements.

Balloon flowers in city centre Manchester

The garden city of downtown Manchester

In Economy, Food, Green & blue spaces and Nature on 09.09.2013
Contributed by Simon Binns

Simon Binns of Cityco explains the drive behind Dig the City and its ongoing success in turning the Heart of Manchester into a green oasis.

Liz Newell speeds by the Brompton Dock at Piccadilly

City infrastructure and the great bicycle economy

In Economy and Transport on 25.08.2013
Contributed by Steve Connor

With a further £20m to spend on cycling infrastructure, courtesy of its successful Vélocity funding bid, Greater Manchester is working hard to become a cycle-friendly city region, but what will be the economic impact?

Greater Manchester's sustainability in numbers

In Economy, Energy, Nature and Society on 07.08.2013
Contributed by Steve Connor

If you can't measure it, you can't manage it, so here's Platform's first attempt at running the numbers on Greater Manchester's sustainability efforts, from waste, to cycling, to carbon.

Fuelling the future: new hydrogen partnership launches

In Economy, Energy and Transport on 07.08.2013
Contributed by Mark Hillsdon

The research expertise of Manchester’s three leading universities is at the centre of a drive to bring a carbon-free version of a new energy source to the city.

Governing Sustainability in Greater Manchester

In Economy, Living and Society on 24.07.2013
Contributed by Beth Perry

Beth Perry, Mark Atherton and Mike Hodson take a look at the governance of sustainability in Greater Manchester.

What urban capacities exist to develop sustainable urban futures, formally and informally? What do different policies for sustainable urban development look like in different countries? How do different stakeholders and communities influence policy formulation? What can we learn from sharing experiences between cities in different parts of the globe?

Comparative Urban Futures: Spatial Networks for Sustainable Urban Development

In Economy and Society on 22.07.2013
Contributed by Paul Hildreth

Greater Manchester is not an island. A number of academic and policy studies have highlighted how cities responses to the challenges of sustainability are shaped by a broader set of national-local and city-city relationships. Since the new Coalition government in the UK in 2010, relationships between national government and cities have been reshaped. What are the consequences of these changes? How important are cities’ broader spatial networked relationships for how they address sustainable urban development (SUD)? What value is there in learning between and across different urban responses to sustainability in 21st Century Britain?

Platform. The everyday portal for sharing knowledge and intelligence on sustainability across Greater Manchester.