Supercities

[Howie]

UK's 5 supercities of the future

By CLODAGH HARTLEY
Consumer Affairs Editor

Published: 29 May 2009

BRITAIN is set for its biggest shake-up since the industrial revolution - with the birth of five new "supercities" over the next 20 years, a new report predicts.

And the post-recession landscape will be very different to today's Britain, as the traditional North/South divide is turned on its head.

Northern cities Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle are likely to become more prosperous than southern rivals. Along with Brighton, Newcastle and Leeds will be booming business hubs.

By 2020 Newcastle will have a ?700million science centre.

Leeds will establish itself as the UK's top financial centre after London, with a ?1billion "City" district planned.

Liverpool will rebrand itself as a global city.

And Brighton will cash in on its "liberated" image to create an alternative economy.

The fifth supercity will be London, which will see creative businesses overtake finance as the major earner. It could eventually become independent from the rest of the UK, the Future of Business report by HSBC bank predicts.

c.hartley@the-sun.co.uk

Source: The Sun

[Norm NZ]

Also here,! the NZ Govt is trying to 'fast-track' Auckland into a Super City, no one seems to know why!!! and the government is not offering any explanations, causing quite a problem too, as so many area councils are involved, and so far, nobody has a clue on how it's going to work!!!

[Howie]

Bank report predicts Liverpool?s ?supercity? status
May 27 2009
by Neil Hodgson, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL is tipped to become a centre of excellence in stem cell research in a new report forecasting future trends.

The Future of Business report, commissioned by banking group HSBC, predicts the biggest shake-up for UK industry since the industrial revolution, with many cities striving to re-invent themselves.

Liverpool is set to forge ahead in stem cell research, while Manchester is tipped as a new centre for robotics. Report author Martin Raymond predicts the rise of ?supercities? in the next 20 years, including Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds, which will derive income and status from new areas like biotech.

Source: Liverpool Daily Post

[Waterways]

London becoming a separate city state is bit exaggerated. What do they base this assumption on that Liverpool, Leeds & Newcastle will become supercities?

It all depends on the south east power triangle. They decided post WW2 that London and the south east will be No. 1 and all else can go to hell. London received a disproportionate amount of public investment. One third of Docklands was public money - a whole city built. Another e.g. is Crossrail, it parallels the Central Line and 15 miles of tunnel is being dug. A fraction of that money could give Liverpool a needed Circle Line making Merseyrail a true metro, with 80% in place. Circle Line That will propel Liverpool forwards attracting investment for minimal cost, Crossrail is a nice to have project, not essential, with a fortune being spent on it.

No cities will prosper at the expense of London. If London does well and others do that is fine. Others will no do well while London lags, as the south east power mongers will prevent that happening.

[Waterways]

From Guardian:
Guardian

"Our panel predicted the rise of supercities and regions over the next 20 years," said Martin Raymond from the Future Laboratory, one of the report's authors. "They promise to change the traditional national and regional power bases because of their proximity to the one thing that does not depend on natural resources: knowledge."

What will attract "knowledge" to Liverpool. The city has to be attractive for people to live in with high quality homes which are affordable. Homes and flats built are poor quality and far too small poky places. Many block are just plain tat.

The city has potential to create an attractive water based environment for people to live around. People like living next to water. The design, quality and spaciousness has to be there, otherwise the city stays an old has been ex Victorian crock.

If the city does not get its act together no one will come to the city and it will continue to struggle being a largely working class city.

[eagle]

The idea that London will become independent may have been put in to attract attention to the report. But surely it is actually possible. And the reason is that the racial mix in London is very different to that in the rest of the UK. In fact, in London, most of the kids are now black. London will, in a few decades, look very much like an African city whilst the rest of the UK will still be quite white. Is it not possible that a black London with no financial centre and not much wealth might demand independence?

[Waterways]

The idea that London will become independent may have been put in to attract attention to the report. But surely it is actually possible. And the reason is that the racial mix in London is very different to that in the rest of the UK. In fact, in London, most of the kids are now black.

They are not black. I live in London.

<snip confused posting>

[AngelCake]

The idea that London will become independent may have been put in to attract attention to the report. But surely it is actually possible. And the reason is that the racial mix in London is very different to that in the rest of the UK. In fact, in London, most of the kids are now black. London will, in a few decades, look very much like an African city whilst the rest of the UK will still be quite white. Is it not possible that a black London with no financial centre and not much wealth might demand independence?

London will look like an African city? In what way?

I read that in the last census in 2001 , 71% of people classed their ethnic group as white. Even if the ethnic population has grown since then , i'm not sure why you have decided that they will look like people from Africa. Strange statement to make, especially as the fastest growing racial group in the UK is mixed race.

[eagle]

But most of the kids in London (esp. south, east and north) are black or blackish. According to, for example, the Lambeth LEA website, 73% of the students are like this. I've been to dozens of cities in Africa and London will look like an African city in that it will be characterised by overcrowding, poverty (remember its main industry will no longer be there), a divided and increasingly antagonistic population, low academic achievement (black kids are on average a year behind their white counterparts at school), corruption and violent crime. Already the gang crime in London is enough for the police to have set up a separate force for black on black gangs. The young in London are very confused about their identity as hardly any of them consider themselves to be English and, in many cases, are actually brought up to despise white, English folk. They've started to use the term 'coconut' to describe someone who is 'black or blackish' but white and bad inside. Is it not possible that, in a decade or two, when all the police, politicians, teachers etc are 'black or blackish' they might want to gain independence from the rest of the UK which will still be overwhelmingly white and very different to London? Actually, is it not even more possible that the rest of the UK will want London to gain independence?

[Howie]

UK's Business Landscape Is Set For Its Biggest Shake Up Since The Industrial Revolution



By Claire West

The UK?s business landscape is set for its biggest shake up since the industrial revolution, according to HSBC?s Future of Business report released today.

Unveiling a new map of the nation, the report uncovers a changing landscape, which is populated with new centres for gaming, wind farms and robotics dominating the traditional map of UK industry ? which was plotted with factories, power stations and livestock.

The report, from HSBC Commercial Banking and The Future Laboratory, predicts that the economic downturn, increased emphasis on internationalisation and changing demands on business will profoundly alter the UK?s ?business map? as the 21st century unfolds. It is forecasting a new regional geography with the birth of five new ?supercities? and a map of tomorrow populated by nanotech, cybernetics and a growing emphasis on bio and tech sciences driven by new economic income streams.

According to the report?s authors, the changes are being driven by the recession, which will create an emphasis on interpersonal skills in business; technological advances; the demands of many for new and flexible ways of working; more business trade taking place across international borders, and a rise in entrepreneurship. It predicts that what the UK has been known for since the industrial revolution is set to change, and fast.

According to the research there will be a new-look UK with hot business hubs focusing on:

? Robotics (Edinburgh, Birmingham, Essex, London, Manchester, Plymouth)

? Biotech (York and Dundee)

? Nanotech (Oxford, Cambridge, Newcastle, Durham, Bristol, London)

? Stem cell research (Edinburgh, London, Cambridge, Liverpool, Manchester)

? Nutraceuticals (Dundee/Southampton)

? Renewable energies (London, Wales, Cornwall, Glasgow)

? Cybernetics (Reading)

? Gaming (Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow)

Report author, Martin Raymond said: ?In the last decade, the notion of the ?culture capital? became a buzzword, as cities such as Cardiff, Newcastle, Gateshead, London and Liverpool worked with so-called ?starchitects? such as Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Wilkinson Ayre to create business opportunities and global profiles. We are about to see innovation, technology and wireless connectivity being used in the same way, according to our panel of experts.

?They predict the rise of ?supercities? and regions such as Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool and Brighton over the next 20 years. These supercities and regions will derive their status, income and prestige from new economic income streams such as biotech, stem cell research, innovation, gaming and even alternative work practices and business models.?

The report identifies four new ?types? of entrepreneurs that are set to capitalise on the current environment and drive the changing landscape forward. From transpreneurs ? ?an elite new breed of super-global entrepreneurs? with connections and workspaces all over the world? ? to referral economists ? who have emerged from the social networking boom, are ?always on? and are building businesses on word-of-mouth alone, the report finds these groups are rapidly shifting the way we work and do business in the 21st century.

Noel Quinn, head of HSBC Commercial Banking UK, said: ?The face of business is changing and while we are in tough economic times, this report unveils some positive new trends that could alter the shape of the working world tomorrow.

?We are already committed to supporting businesses over the long-term, helping them shape and develop for future success. We are already spending 30% more time with customers this year to understand their changing needs, and we have developed unique mobile banking initiatives on both BlackBerry and iPhone to help our customer retain their flexibility. And we have established the most comprehensive international banking network through our unparalleled global reach and increased numbers of global relationship managers available to ensure that we can help our customers make the most of their future business opportunities.?

Other trends the report identified included:

A new North/South divide:

? ?Traditionally, the South of England has been considered more successful than the North, but new evidence suggests otherwise. London?s Gross Value Added will fall 1.5% in 2009 from 2.3% in 2008, while the North-East?s will become more competitive increasing to 1.9% next year, up from 0.9%. Competition and living costs in the south are encouraging many new entrepreneurs to start up in the north. Job creation by self-employed people is also higher in the north, with northerners employing 3.5m people on average, compared with 2.6m in the south. The recession and rise of mobile working is also helping to bridge the north/south divide.?

Global ambition:

? ?The global, mobile workforce of the future will need to acquire foreign language, multi-cultural skills and a Rolodex of business etiquette practices. This is most keenly felt by respondents in Edinburgh, where 37.5% of respondents think cultural and language abilities were the most vital new business skills.?

The need for cities to have a ?unique brand identity?:

? ?Every city wants to be known for something and develop a personality, and they will increasingly do this.? Many post-industrial cities in the UK are re-invigorating themselves by creating iconic institutions. ?Look at Cardiff and the Millennium Stadium?. Newcastle and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is another. People and cities want an identity,? said Dr Faulconbridge, one of the panel of experts.?

UK businesspeople want to be known for creativity:

? ?So, what should UK business stand for? World-class creative industries are the top choice (56.5%). This was followed by a top education and training system (46.2%), underlining respondents? anxieties surrounding talent shortages and increased global competitiveness. Innovation and entrepreneurialism (45.8%) came third, followed by best talent and human capital (41.3%) in fourth place.?

Source: The Sikh Times

[AngelCake]

But most of the kids in London (esp. south, east and north) are black or blackish. According to, for example, the Lambeth LEA website, 73% of the students are like this. I've been to dozens of cities in Africa and London will look like an African city in that it will be characterised by overcrowding, poverty (remember its main industry will no longer be there), a divided and increasingly antagonistic population, low academic achievement (black kids are on average a year behind their white counterparts at school), corruption and violent crime. Already the gang crime in London is enough for the police to have set up a separate force for black on black gangs. The young in London are very confused about their identity as hardly any of them consider themselves to be English and, in many cases, are actually brought up to despise white, English folk. They've started to use the term 'coconut' to describe someone who is 'black or blackish' but white and bad inside. Is it not possible that, in a decade or two, when all the police, politicians, teachers etc are 'black or blackish' they might want to gain independence from the rest of the UK which will still be overwhelmingly white and very different to London? Actually, is it not even more possible that the rest of the UK will want London to gain independence?

This reads like a BNP leaflet.
I don't know why you think that black/mixed raced people can only cope when living together. The term "coconut" is quite old and is used to describe a black person who "acts white" (whatever that is supposed to mean) not a black person who acts white and bad. I would debate further with you but I think you have ulterior motives so..let's agree to disagree.

[wsteve55]

This reads like a BNP leaflet.
I don't know why you think that black/mixed raced people can only cope when living together. The term "coconut" is quite old and is used to describe a black person who "acts white" (whatever that is supposed to mean) not a black person who acts white and bad. I would debate further with you but I think you have ulterior motives so..let's agree to disagree.

Can only agree with your sentiments,Angelcake!

[lindylou]

This reads like a BNP leaflet.
I don't know why you think that black/mixed raced people can only cope when living together. The term "coconut" is quite old and is used to describe a black person who "acts white" (whatever that is supposed to mean) not a black person who acts white and bad. I would debate further with you but I think you have ulterior motives so..let's agree to disagree.

Exactly !

well said

.. and yes, the term 'coconut' is not something new, it's an old one like the term 'uncle Tom'

.. and what's 'blackish' - ha! suppose to mean !!

[Waterways]

The idea that London will become independent may have been put in to attract attention to the report. But surely it is actually possible.

London needs power, water & sewage. OK, nuclear power stations can fill the bill, but water? Even desalination could not do it as the power and plant needed is too great. So, London then would be buying power and water from England. I can't see it happening.

London is virtually a city state, as is Hamburg, which Liverpool should be. Liverpool, Wirral, and the artificial strangely shaped Sefton & Knowsley councils should all have one Mayor, as London does. The mayor does cross London affairs, transport, promotion, some trade and act the prat if your name is Boris Johnson.

[wsteve55]

Whaaa! You dont like our Boris.