Critically assess the relationship between the growth of consumer culture and urban

development in one city of your choice.' Consumer culture is related to the process of
consumerism, which is defined as 'a term used to describe the effects of equating personal
happiness with purchasing material possessions and consumption' (Wikipedia, 2005).
Consumption is defined as 'The purchase and utilization of goods and services' (Knox and
Pinch, 1982) and the three main geographical themes surrounding the geography of
consumption are: spatialities, socialities and subjectives (Miles and Miles). Within this broad
depth of classifying consumption it is possible to identify that consumption is not just related
to the manufactured goods that are sold , but also to services, knowledge and ideas and it is
now commonly accepted that places, shopping, eating, fashion, leisure and recreation are all
things that can be 'consumed' (Jayne, 2005). The key issue in the relationship beween
consumption and urban change is that the production and consumption realtionship that
once existed has now been reversed, and subsequently provides the centre of a modern
urban lifestyle. Urban development is defines as 'the physical, social and economic
development of metropolitan regions, municipalities and neighbourhoods' (Wikipedia, 2005).
The physical change of a city is mainly concerned with the spatial geography of
consumption, however it is important to consider the effect that socialities and subjectives
have on development, especially socially and economically. Through using the city of
Manchester I shall assess the relationship between consumption and urban development
through the following development periods of a city: Industrial, Fordist, Post-Fordist, PostIndustrial, Modernism and Post-Modernism. The industrial city emerged during the industrial
revolution which was said to be 'The era in which machine power replaced human and
animal ...read more.

Middle
At its peak (around 1945), the Park employed over 75,000 workers. (Pacione) The fordist
system however was not always idealistic, as in the case of Henry Ford's production plants.
In the case of Manchester the industry was mainly cotton, which didn't pay great wages and
as a result women, ethnic minorities and other marginalised groups were economically
excluded. The fordist sytem ran into trouble, this was most probably related to a declining
productivity and there were a number of factors that contributed to this. It is difficult to
determine which factor had the biggest influence, however there are some which are related
to consumption behaviours, as identified by Knox (1982): * Market saturation of massproduced goods * Increasing consumer hostilty to uniform, poor-quality goods * System
rigidity in the face of increasing consumer and market volatility stemming from the high
capital costs of establishing complex production lines under the influence of Fordism There
has been responses to the problems created in the fordist city, tese mostly included changes
to the working practices, the organisation of the industry and the structure of the society as
a whole. From these changes emerged the post-fordist city. 'The post-fordist city is
characterised by a production landscape that has experienced the decline of old

manufacturing and 'smokestack' industries and the rise of new computer based technology
and flexible decentralised labour processes and work' (Jayne,2005). In Manchster, the out of
town industrial estate Trafford Park has continued to grow throughout the years, and had
offset many of the worst effects of depression on employment in Manchester. Many new
service industries had moved in as well as light engineering and cleaner hi-tech
industries. ...read more.

Conclusion
In the case of Manchester it is clear that the city has experienced the same shifts as many
cities: from an industrial to post-industrial economy, with a decline in manufacturing and
more importance placed on the role of the cultural economy. Governments regulate and
control consumption on several levels; they are responsible for allowing people access to
collectively consumed services through the provision of healthcare, education and housing.
(Cloke et al, 1999). The government are also partly responsible for the mass consumption of
products that occurred in the fordist era, through the development of the city to compete in
the industry worldwide. However it is also important to consider the effects of Henry Ford on
the influence on consumers as he was the pioneer of affordable goods, this alongside the
banks ability to give credit made goods more affordable to all. Suburban development also
increased consumption with the development of decentralised industry and living.
Commodity fetishism developed and people would compete socially to purchase the 'best'
consumer goods. (Knox and Pinch, 1982). It hasn't however always been that development
has influence consumption, as in the case of the post-industrial city development took place
around the basis of consumer needs. Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Shopping Centres, Markets
and Leisure Parks all became spaces of consumption. Consumption habits changed from that
of mass consumption to an individual level of consumption in which people have created an
identity for themselves through purchasing hand-made and original goods. 'Consumption
has become so engrained in both political and institutional visions, planning and policy
regimes and our everyday lives that consumption is not simply about goods and services but
is central to our vision of the city, the very idea of a city