In the United Kingdom, the idea of a 'second city' arose during the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Beforehand, London had been the chief centre of political and economic power in the country; during this period, due to the burgeoning new industries (particularly the textile, metal work and steam powered industries), the cities of Manchester and Birmingham (towns until 1853 and 1889 respectively) rose to prominence to become two of the most important industrial centres in not only the UK but the entire world (see History of Manchester and History of Birmingham).
In the 20th century, many considered Birmingham to be the country's second city. More recently, following massive urban regeneration across England, other cities can be described as deserving of this title, with Manchester generally seen as Birmingham's main competitor. . (Many Birmingham residents agree, with the tongue-in-cheek stipulation that Birmingham be the 'First City'.) After two failed Olympic bids, Manchester hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2002; in December 2004, the BBC announced it would move five major departments from London to Manchester, transforming Manchester into "the biggest broadcasting centre outside of London".*Quote from ["Boost for would-be knowledge capital"] by William Hall, Financial Times, 8th December, 2004*["BBC jobs and programmes go north"], BBC News, 7th December, 2004
Glasgow and Liverpool have also each had a claim to being the second city of the UK. Both cities were prominent because of their economic importance, especially the central role which they played in overseas trade. Other UK cities with minor claims to ancient second or even capital city status include Lincoln, York, Norwich, Winchester and Hamwick (now in Southampton).
Based solely on the official city boundaries since Margaret Thatcher's reforms of 1985, the City of Birmingham is far larger and more populous than the actual area covered by the City of Manchester. Although Manchester itself is not usually defined by just the areas covered by the local council. For instance, the suburb of Old Trafford is not actually covered by the same council as the one in the city centre. Yet people living in the many local towns in this area will generally consider themselves Mancunians.
It is perhaps even more difficult to make a distinction based on cultural factors, as all major UK cities play an important role in the cultural make-up of the country. Edinburgh has played host to the world's largest arts festival for over 50 years, something other UK cities have attempted to emulate in a small scale in recent years with varying degress of success. A 1970s BBC drama series called "Second City Firsts" was based in Birmingham, as was the mythical Crossroadsmotel. Similarly, the longest running TVsoap opera, Coronation Street and a number of other recent popular TV series like Shameless and Queer as Folk are clearly very Mancunian. Certainly, since the move of BBC staff from the head offices in London to the second hub of Manchester, many Mancunian hit dramas have been produced such as Waterloo Road and The Street. Life on Mars is actually a BBC Wales production, although it is set in Manchester. Other productions include the award winning Dinnerladies written by Victoria Wood, who is from the Greater Manchesterdistrict of Bury.
A large factor which is becoming a determinant of a city's importance is the environment. In this ever-changing world, environmental issues are constantly under the spotlight and are becoming increasingly important in cities all over the world. Cities have usually been seen as areas with extremely high pollution and little regard for the areas surrounding. Manchester has taken it upon itself to lead the way in the UK for 'green' factors which are very political currently. [link] Manchester has also been awarded the leading role in the new Biodiesel scheme by Ford Motor Company which means that Manchester City Council has a large number of automobiles running on the new fuel. [link].
Birmingham has no major schemes in place to support the environment as of yet but Birmingham City Council are setting out smaller projects to tackle climate change [link].
The success of Manchester Metrolink has been proven with year-on-year increases in passenger figures and ticket sales, not to mention a reputation for being a fast and reliable public transport service into the heart of the Manchester city centre. Manchester Metrolink transported 18.7 million passengers to their destinations in 2004. The busiest bus route in the whole of Europe is Oxford Road/Wilmslow Road, Manchester. The longest urban bus route in Europe is the number 11, the Birmingham Outer Circle. In addition, Manchester International Airport is the third largest in the United Kingdom after London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport, handling over 22 million travellers in 2005, although it must be noted that Birmingham Airport is signifactly nearer London's airports and therefore the passenger traffic out of Birmingham International Airport is affected by this.
