How did Manchester became the poster-child of neoliberal urbanisation, and what can the people that live there do about it? As the crane capital of Europe, Manchester's transformation since the financial crisis has been profound. Capital has flooded into the city, transforming its skyline and rocketing rents. At the same time, it remains a city of stark inequalities - home to some of the poorest wards in the country. Yet this didn't come out of nowhere. Rather, its roots lie in the long story of the city's political journey since the 1980s, and the defeat of municipal socialism and the embrace of urban entrepreneurialism which saw Manchester become the model neoliberal city. In The Rentier City, tenant organiser Isaac Rose traces the contemporary history of Manchester, examining how and why it became the poster-child for neoliberal development. Exploring the cultural commodification that Manchester pioneered in its pursuit of the "creative class" and the rise of the rentier, Rose lays bare the results of this experiment. Tracking the triumphs and failures of those who have sought to fight back, he shows us what life is like for those who make a home in the shadow of the towers. Bursting the bubble of the boosters and giving renters a toolkit for reclaiming their homes, communities and cities from Big Capital, The Rentier City punctures the hypocrisies that surround the "Manchester miracle", showing how everyone can fight back against rising rents, gentrification and the financialisaton of the places they live.

About the Author
Isaac Rose is a writer and tenant organiser who lives in Manchester. He has been a tenant organiser with Greater Manchester Tenants Union for three years, and has been involved with Greater Manchester Housing Action for over five years. He was the chair of Manchester Momentum 2018-20, and his writing on housing has been published in Tribune.

Reviews
"Rose's compelling evocation of Manchester as a symptomatic 'rentier city' will provide a crucial reference point for all those seeking a less exploitative and socially polarised urban future." "A remarkable achievement.... The Rentier City is destined to become the definitive account of how and why Manchester has neoliberalised, while also suggesting how a different city trajectory can be realised." "Finally, here's the antidote to the decades of Mad Fer It Urban Boosterism that have beset Greater Manchester. This book deserves a place in the pockets of all those in the northern metropolis who refuse to participate in the self-congratulatory rituals of Manctopia." "As a born and bred Mancunian I've been waiting for a book like this for some time! A wonderful, rich, yet accessible, account of the rise, fall and neoliberal resurrection of rentierism in Manchester over the longue duree. A must read for anyone interested in the past, and concerned about the present and future of this paradigmatic city." "Since the eighties, Manchester's public housing and sites of social communing, including the Hacienda, have been decimated by private developers working in tandem with city boosters. Has any other city ever lost so much of its soul in such a short space of time? Isaac Rose has provided us with a searing account of this history." "In this sharp, impassioned study, Isaac Rose shines a light on the endlessly nuanced, utterly venal yet irrepressibly soulful northern metropolis that is modern-day Manchester. This is an essential, searing and vital piece of writing." "An important and hopeful book, written in the spirit of resistance against the wreckage of rentier extraction, and an indispensable contribution to our understanding of neoliberal urbanism."



Book Information
ISBN 9781915672186
Author Isaac Rose
Format Paperback
Page Count 250
Imprint Repeater Books
Publisher Watkins Media Limited
Weight(grams) 369g