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Summary
Programme
Panel
Video
Research Results
Introduction
A Place To Live
Retail in The City
Physical Regeneration
The Liverpool Image
Realising The Opportunities
Recommendations
Museum of Popular Culture
About Downtown Liverpool
About The Management School
Recommendations
DLIB Actions
Sponsors
Delegates
Gallery
back
Downtown Liverpool as a place to live
Although the population of Liverpool has continued to decline the 2001 Census recorded around 440,000 people living in the City. Liverpool does have a slightly younger average age compared with other parts of the country, and as Figure 1 shows, there are greater proportions of 16 – 19 year olds and 20 – 29 year olds in the City, than in England and Wales. There is a belief that population trends in Liverpool need to be reversed and that downtown Liverpool is the place where this can begin.
Recent developments that are not captured by the 2001 Census have seen some considerable change in the City. Notably, the student population throughout the day gives a city centre image of vitality, and this is even more visible at certain points in the week, particularly at the weekend, when the buzz and excitement creates an energetic atmosphere focused around young people. It is also true that the main Liverpool decision makers live away from the centre of Liverpool and that there are generally few opportunities for families to live downtown. Prices for private accommodation, undoubtedly on an upward spiral, are often not affordable for certain categories of people, such as first time buyers or young families and often, the type of property available is targeted at young, single households who are thought to have greater levels of spending power. Attempts to repopulate the city centre will need to involve a range of social groups, who will need a variety of housing types, which in turn will place new demands for many types of support services.
Figure 1 Population of Liverpool
While Merseyside has been able to build up a relatively good transport network, particularly Merseyrail, parking in Liverpool has become more of a problem. Greater levels of investment in public transport is likely through the efforts to develop a prestigious tram system ( Click here for an update on Merseytram) but overall, investment in other forms of infrastructure is required to attract as wide a range of age groups and households as possible into the city centre, and for downtown Liverpool to be seen as a viable place in which to live and to work. It is easy to state, but nevertheless true, that greater levels of investment in schools, in health centres and in ensuring cleanliness and safety in the city centre is required. We are at a stage of some advantage, what with the returns now starting to become evident from Objective 1 spending, plus the prestigious award of City of Culture, although we need to recognise the near city centre ward deprivation as development takes place. The effort now required is to build on the momentum achieved as different interest groups have come together. This cooperation is essential to plan for a new social mix downtown, a repopulation that will eventually benefit the sub-region of Merseyside as a whole.
Associated links :
Merseytram
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