Eighth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Manchester (“King Cotton”) was the first truly industrial city of the nineteenth century subsequently passing the baton to Detroit (“Motor City”) as the first truly modern metropolis of the twentieth century. Manchester and Detroit are two hugely important industrial cities which both experienced massive decline in fortune having suffered extensive de-industrialisation. Both cities have suffered with socio-economic problems, unemployment, homelessness, racial issues, riots, protests, poverty, ethnic integration, multiculturalism, and migration/immigration. Yet, in both cities, this decline has been combatted by a fighting spirit, a work ethic bred into the psyche, along with a real sense of radicalism, resourcefulness, innovation, playfulness, and creativity all combined with a deep sense of the people’s pride and love of their cities. Significantly, both cities also share a history of altruism and philanthropy. Research in this area will explore the tales of these two cities, their rise and post-industrial decline, their subsequent transitions and transformations, as well as their contemporary potential to develop commercial, cultural, industrial, artistic, and musical transactions. The connections between the two cities, at various levels, are myriad and deserve more detailed documentation and unravelling. These are cities “in transition” with a collective industrial past, but also with an eye to the future; both are “smart cities,” now home to manifold digital initiatives and creative industries. We would like to explore these synergies by speculating on the two cities’ future in relation to globalisation, digitalisation, and how cities can function to develop solutions to communal living in the cities of the future. We invite contributions interested in promoting zones of experimentation and creativity – areas for people to play, think and create – in order to develop and instigate new initiatives and ideas, and to combat the corporate commodification, re-branding and “re-blanding” of our cities. The ultimate objective is to establish a meaningful creative and cultural exchange between Manchester and Detroit, underpinned by academic enquiry in a host of subject areas across the arts, humanities, leisure, environment, and business sectors.