“What Manchester does today, the world does tomorrow” – that was how this northern English metropolis regarded itself in its glory Victorian years. By the mid-20th century, however, the great days were gone: The “world’s engine room” had missed the boat on the emerging services era and the city was straining under poor infrastructure and high unemployment into the 1990s. Manchester today is a different story: Among the old factories and new tall buildings sit two top-notch soccer clubs, two universities and opera houses.