Zero carbon might require a huge retrofit programme, but Manchester rises to a challenge

摘要

I studied in Manchester for a time and whenever I go back, the city always wows me with its pace of change - and how it embraces change. New towers and homes and bars spring up like dandelions. There is palpable energy and focus. A walk out of Piccadilly station used to be a particularly bleak affair, with pedestrians hemmed in by whooshing traffic. You could see the heart of the city, just over the road, but you couldn't get into it easily. The Manchester Curve pedestrian footbridge opened up the vista and those first few urban impressions are so much more welcoming now.