Question CUL2
Original Document
How might the city centre economy and image be enhanced through outdoor leisure/tourism events and how might existing spaces be used or new spaces created to accommodate such events? How can the city go about creating the right conditions for formal, free and spontaneous outdoor events? How can more flexible outdoor and indoor space be provided: should it, for example, go onto a future development of the wholesale markets?
Plain English Translation
How could we use outdoor leisure or tourism events to make the city centre economy and image better? How can we use the spaces we have now or make new spaces for holding events? How can we support different types of events? How can we have more flexible outdoor and indoor space: should we, for example, put it into the wholesale markets area?
Birmingham, despite being a fairly leafy city, has a vital lack of Green space in the city centre. Parks and gardens are pretty much non existent. Eastside Park has been planned for many years now and I see the current estimated time for completion is 2013. This appears to be a project that has lost enthusiasm and isn't popular becuase it takes up space that could be used for more flats or more retails units (doesn't Birmingham have enough already?)
There is a great opportunity to develop a fantastic space in this part of the city and it could happily incorporate outdoor cultural spaces as well such as cinema in the summer, local sculpture and art and a bandstand or stage for Jazz or any type of music.
My only other question is why is the Eastside Park so small? There is a huge area in front of the Thinktank that was once a big warehouse, but now just seems to be a van rental depot. Obviously this area has other development potential, but would it be as sustainable or have as big an impact as a park that would last for hundreds of years?