Rachel Smith
Analyst, Centre for Cities (UK).
Private sector jobs growth
has been uneven
Commuting patterns in Greater Manchester (2001)
Cities and their urban
hinterlands
Source: Beyond the boundaries
The geography of employment in Greater Manchester
Source: Access all areas: linking people to jobs
The geography of jobs is
changing
The geography of employment in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
And in Aberdeen
Urban
Core
Source: Hidden potential: supporting growth in Sunderland & other “mid-sized” cities
Movement of firms in and out of Sunderland, 1998-08
Some cities have weak
urban cores too
• Jobs growth has concentrated in cities, but has been
uneven;
• Cities will continue to be important as the shift towards a
knowledge-based economy continues;
• Cities have economic relationships with their urban
fringes – they house labour but increasingly they house
lower skilled jobs too;
• Some cities have weak urban cores and in these places
business tend to prefer urban fringes.
Summary
• Recognising the different but complementary roles of
cities and their urban fringes;
• Strengthening economic linkages to generate mutual
economic benefit:
• Capitalise on the ‘core’;
• Invest in appropriate links with urban fringes.
• Cross-boundary collaboration across city regions;
• Joined up policies including land use and transport
planning.
Policy implications