10. Regionalisation and Civil Society in a Time of Austerity: The Cases of Manchester and Sheffield

Within the UK and further afield, the spatial delineation of the ‘city-region’ has seen a renaissance as the de facto spatial political unit of governance driven by economic development. This spatial realignment has been central to the construction of the Northern Powerhouse and has rested alongside other agendas such as devolution, localism and austerity. The chapter presents original case study empirical research from two city-regions (Manchester and Sheffield), looking at the ways in which the city-region is being constructed differently and the different ways in which ‘civil society’ is negotiating its way through this changing governance landscape. The chapter considers the ways in which city-regions are being built and the ways in which this process is being limited or undermined through austerity.