Collaborative partnerships and urban change management

Abstract

PurposeThis article aims to consider the benefits of collaboration in programming the delivery of complex regeneration strategies, focusing on the renewal of Manchester city centre following its terrorist bombing. Set within the wider discourse on the nature of partnerships, it situates the city centre renewal process within Manchester's locally‐grounded development agenda, focusing in particular on programme management achievements.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses a qualitative approach to look at the institutional basis for collaborative action, and the management structures put in place to deliver the renewal programme over a five‐year period of concentrated activity.FindingsIn the renewal of Manchester city centre a common purpose was found within the partnership approach. Such an approach appeared to be driven by inter‐urban competition for public and private investment.Research limitations/implicationsImplications for organizational capacity and for master plan delivery were noted, and with the approach taken to performance management and the accommodation of risk, and the delivery of a forward strategy to ensure the completion of the rebuilding programme.Practical implicationsThe findings have had practical implications with a number of other cities pursuing like‐minded strategies based on the Manchester experience.Originality/valueThe article adds further knowledge to our understanding of renewal and regeneration in major cities.