As one region, Greater Manchester's rise has been stratospheric, but big things are happening within the 10 individual boroughs. Over two decades of investment, devolved power and connectivity have created a patchwork of growth in Greater Manchester, with different districts pulling their weight in different ways. The trick now? Knowing how they piece together...and how they stack up against London.
The BRIK-Down
Manchester doesn't behave like a single city-region. 'Places for Everyone' became Greater Manchester's shared blueprint, where nine districts pull in the same direction to deliver jobs, homes, and sustainable growth (across Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan).
But at BRIK, we think of Manchester less as districts and more like four zones, each playing its own strategic role in the economic story.
- High-Growth Core Zone: Manchester, Salford and Trafford, the skyline and its surrounds are home to the strongest GVA per capita.
- Power Shifts: Stockport, Tameside, Rochdale - Stockport alone clocked a 35% productivity rise between 2004 and 2023, making the corridor one of GM's fastest climbers.
- Innovation Clusters: Oldham, Bolton and Pennine towns, from industrial legacies new hubs for advanced manufacturing and next-gen industry are forming.
- Infrastructure: Wigan, Bury and other de-industrialised towns are being renewed through housing, mixed-use schemes and cultural anchors.
The London Lens
London's boroughs have always set something of a benchmark: a high concentration of people and diverse businesses that are highly productive.
But overlay the GM map and a pattern emerges.
Our Core Zone mirrors inner boroughs (like Camden or Southwark); the South-East Corridor resembles outer London suburbs on the rise (like Croydon or Kingston); the Innovation Belt and Gateway towns echo London's own hinterland regenerations (like Docklands and even King's Cross).
The difference? Greater Manchester's growth is trending faster, because from 2004 to 2023, our productivity jumped 31%. London might still hold the scale, but the trajectory GM's set has everyone watching.
A Close-Knit City
Naturally, none of this happens without infrastructure.
The Northern Hub, Ordsall Chord and planned Northern Powerhouse Rail links are shrinking journey times and opening labour pools wider and wider - so these zones can stand alone, and together. Plus, devolved leadership has meant more meaningful interventions, and a zoning strategy on, and for, purpose.
Our Take
Each zone brings a different gear to the machine, and together they're moving faster than London's equivalent parts. And while the region hasn't totally redrawn the economic map just yet, it has set out clear parameters for its future.
