Economic distribution

... but because of a tightening of the city's finances the properties were never replaced. A survey carried out to the north, east and south-east of the CBD for 1978-84 illustrated that there were 384 sites with greater than 0.2 hectares vacant at some time during this period. There were/are very few employment opportunities available, poor housing, and there is the worrying possibility that residents may become trapped in a vicious cycle. From an all time population high in 1921 of 730,307, in 1971 it had dropped by an incredible 200,000 to 541,468, illustrating a mass exodus. In the 1970s and 1980s the area was home to a proliferation of pornography shops, second-hand shops and wholesalers, particularly around Oldham Road. The presence of such a poor economic base is not at all conducive to growth, and with the royal Exchange ceasing trading in 1968, at that time at least, there seemed to be no opportunity in sight. The aforementioned idea of a vicious cycle could be applied here, with the area doomed to remain one of poor quality residential and commercial properties, compounded by vast tracts of land empty in-between. However, there have been efforts to remedy these and other problems. In 1978 the Inner City Partnership Program was set up, organised by both the central government and local authorities; by 1984 the number of hectares of vacant land had been reduced from 695 to 530, although it must be noted that was due entirely to environmental improvement of open spaces rather than any new construction. A new survey has shown that Manchester City Council has been an active owner of it's land, an owner that accounts for almost 60% of all the vacant acreage: "between 1978 and 1984 the council disposed of 26 hectares of vacant land for new development and acquired 28 hectares, primarily for reclamation. The City has played a major role in recent years in recycling inner city land and buildings" (ICPP). Environmentally, the area has fared rather well. Early paintings of the city showed hundreds of smokestacks belching black smoke into the air, a yellow smog settled on the rooftops; this is a sight that with the departure of heavy industry, thankfully, can no longer be seen. (However, it must be noted that private transport is most likely having an equally detrimental effect). Instead, the Council and private owners have been fa ...