Birmingham City Council has launched ‘Our Future City Plan: Central Birmingham 2040’ – an ambitious, green-focused masterplan to shape the next 20 years of city centre development. A consultation on the Plan is now open, with the proposals set to replace the ‘Big City Plan’ unveiled in 2010.
At Detail, we have been actively promoting more sustainable urban living and in our last blog, we contemplated whether the ’15-minute city’ model could be replicated in UK cities. This plan does point towards a similar re-prioritisation of urban design in Birmingham and the principles which underpin it are welcomed.
The plan will focus on designing a people-centred city, improving access to opportunities, and benefiting health and well-being through access to green spaces.
The proposals announced yesterday could see Birmingham city centre expand into a series of connected ‘villages’ with greater emphasis on local amenities, retail and culture. Birmingham City Council also wants to make cycling and walking more viable and attractive methods of transport.
The plan is driven by a set of four core principals. These are:
- Green City: Central Birmingham as a place at the front of a green revolution – a city that respects and encourages the diversity of the natural world and makes it easy for communities to make environmentally friendly choices in the way they live, work and play.
- Equitable City: A city where no one is left behind, with access to jobs, training, housing, and healthcare, being available to all in the community.
- Liveable City: A family friendly city known for its unique and diverse neighbourhoods that are attractive, distinct, and green, connected by walking and cycling routes to schools, local shops, and community facilities all within a short distance of home.
- Distinctive City: A city that promotes and is proud of Brummie character and diversity through the design and activity within development.
Birmingham City Council have said the plan was prompted by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside other societal and economic considerations. Whilst this has undoubtedly forced a change in thinking the crisis is still ongoing, and caution is still needed when making judgements about the long-term.
In this fast-changing world, no one can predict what the world will look like in 12 months’ time.
Leader of Birmingham City Council, Cllr Ian Ward, said: “As the main centre of development activity in our city over the last 30 years, investment in the city centre has provided jobs, homes, improvements to sustainable transport, new cultural destinations and educational opportunities…
“…This plan marks a major change from previous approaches to the city centre, with a clear intention to spread the benefits of development and investment into inner city areas, supporting access to infrastructure, jobs and improved public spaces.
Although ambitious in its nature, this plan is seeking to radically adjust the city to conform to a greener agenda, which can only be positive as we look towards a carbon-neutral future. The plan will capitalise on investment that has been diverted to Birmingham in recent years from London’s over-heated markets, this will certainly compliment the Government’s “levelling up” agenda.
The consultation is now open and runs until 26th March, the results will be published in Autumn 2021. At Detail, we will be submitting our own response to the consultation to help shape these important proposals.
