Burnham's civic ambition is a byproduct of Manchester's status as the fastest-growing city economy in the country. The bomb caused devastation across the city centre leading to a huge rebuilding project [PA Media]From disaster could then arise a great opportunity to reshape the city's geography and economy. Advertisement AdvertisementHe put this down to a flow of young workers into the Manchester city centre service economy. In a reverse from the 1990s, "no-one here has to leave to get on in life", Burnham told me. Advertisement AdvertisementIt was the basis for Burnham's speech earlier this month on Manchesterism and remains his national political-economic-constitutional prospectus.