The North South divide

Cities have always been seen as hubs of economic activity; a place that attracts the best and brightest in their field. Over the past 100 years, the priorities of developed cities have changed- the focus has shifted from secondary, to quarternary industry. All major cities were affected by the decline of heavy industry in the late 20th century; however, the South continued to prosper whilst the North struggled.

Some cities have changed with the national economic focus. For instance, Reading was once renowned for it's iron and steel works. However, today it is seen as a home for a Russell Group university, and the head quarters for MNCs like Microsoft. This means that it is more attractive for skilled workers- the net input of commuters is 30,000 whereas the output is only 25,000. Reading's success is mainly down to it's ability to change.

We can compare this to less successful northern cities, which often have not changed from their industrial roots. Burnley is an example of this- they changed cotton mills to cars, but secondary industry is still the main source of income and jobs in the area. Although it has won awards for its manufacturing ability, it remains in decline- unemployment is 1.5% higher than the national average, pushing younger, skilled workers out of the city. The range of jobs found in the south pulls them away, leaving the city in a vicious spiral of decline.

On a more local scale, unsuccessful policies have played their role in this decline. The Regional Growth Fund was implemented to help develop the manufacturing in the north. But, instead of focussing on developing their economic diversity, it simply re-enforced the existing industrial structure, designed to support a low-knowledge population. Instead, policies should focus on 3 main things: improving the skills of the workforce, supporting innovation, and dealing with the scars of industrial legacy.

Improving the skills of  the workforce is necessary as knowledge businesses require highskilled workers. The ease with which they can recruit  these workers is a key determinant  of  where they locate. This can be done through bursaries for universities, graduate schemes, and improved primary and secondary teaching

These newly trained workers won't work anywhere – they agglomerate in successful cities.  Bright minds feed off of each other, and these ‘knowledge networks’  that  workers are part  of  are place specific. Cities must be able to provide for these groups, and support their innovation.

The quarternary industry requires less space than the historic secondary sector- an office has a smaller  footprint than a factory.  This employment space is located in a different part of the city to the factories, but where the factories are in decline, injecting life back into the city centre is done through regeneration.

The economy is constantly shifting, and only the flexible will survive, and the future of a city cannot be guaranteed by looking to the past.

The document by Centre for Cities that thiswas inspired by can be found here