Building a world class city of business

This paper considers how the City of Liverpool is transforming itself, working with business. Between 1930 and 1980, Liverpool’s population almost halved, large areas in and around the city centre fell derelict, and the city’s private sector atrophied to a catastrophic level. The 1981 civil disturbances brought the city’s plight to national attention, prompting a long-term campaign of interventions to make it once again a city of business. National economic and political factors accelerated this from the mid-1990s. Successive city administrations of different political parties made conscious decisions to be ambitious, actively engage with the private sector and shape a new national and international reputation for Liverpool as a modern global city. Between 2000 and 2008, an internationally significant development programme was delivered, transforming the city centre’s retail, leisure and commercial office space. Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2008 brought millions of visitors to the city, many of them for the first time, beginning to transform its reputation. Participation in the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai and staging the inaugural International Festival for Business in 2014 have continued this process. Liverpool’s experience in this period and the approach of its current city leadership offers learning points for those facing similar challenges elsewhere.