Bradford
Bradford has become a model city for regeneration. Already a manufacturing powerhouse, the city's manufacturing base has become even stronger, recording a rise of 2.8% employment in the sector compared to a national fall of 5.2%.
Regeneration has also sparked diversification of the city's economy. The service sector is now a formidable force with IT, financial services and environmental technologies spearheading the growth. The city's regeneration is predicted to deliver an extra 6,000 new jobs in the city, 2,000 of which will be graduate positions.
Over the next few years, £1.5 billion of construction work will further transform the city region. That includes a £300 million redevelopment of the Broadway retail and leisure centre. Indeed, so impressive is Bradford's regeneration that the city has been tipped by research group OMIS as one of the top six UK cities poised and equipped for future growth.
Leeds
Leeds is the economic capital of the Yorkshire and Humber region. It is the most diverse of any of the UK's top 15 employment centres and one of the largest UK financial and business service centres, accounting for around 111,000 jobs.
Leeds is also the country's third largest manufacturing centre with 2,100 businesses employing some 45,000 people. The past decade alone has seen £2.5 billion of investment in major commerical, retail and residential property developments - with almost £2 billion more committed to current and future projects.
OMIS Research considered Leeds `Britain's Best City for Business', Conde Nast hailed it as `The UK's Favourite City' in their Reader's Travel Awards 2003 and Henley Management Centre called it the `Best Place in Britain to Live' in their Urban Behaviours survey.