Plain English Version
The Big City Plan will be set up, based on work which we have already done for these other plans:
Original Document
The Big City Plan will be founded on a strategy which is emerging from work already undertaken in connection with the Regional Spatial Strategy, the Birmingham Plan, Visioning the Masterplan, the Big Ideas Event, Birmingham Vision 2026 and the Birmingham Prospectus.
Plain English Version
The plan of action for the Big City Plan aims to make it possible for Birmingham City Centre to:
- Grow to be able to cope with being the UK’s second most important city;
- Score much higher in charts of places where people most want to live in the world (such as the “Mercer Index“); and move from number 56 into the top 20;
- Change its economy and environment for the better;
- Become a ’smart’ city, reaching its target of cutting carbon emissions by 60% by 2026, as well as making the economy stronger.
Original Document
The strategy of the Big City Plan will aim to provide the conditions for Birmingham City Centre to:
- Grow to serve the city’s status as the UK’s second world city;
- Raise the city much higher on global indices of liveability (such as the Mercer Index 1 ); moving into the top 20 cities from its current 56th place;
- Transform itself economically and environmentally;
- Become a ‘smart’ city, delivering its 60% CO 2 emissions target by 2026, coupled with strong economic growth.
Plain English Version
The most important way to improve how people see the city is to make it a nice place to live. This can be done by having:
- well-designed buildings, streets and spaces
- a range of nice homes
- social facilities including schools, local centres and open space
- nice and safe walking routes
- public transport that is easy to use and works well.
The cities where people most want to live have a good economy and are attractive. They attract highly qualified people and investment. They make all of the people who live there feel valued. Table 2.1 shows where Birmingham is on the “Mercer liveability Index” (a chart of where people most want to live). The plan will focus on the aims of Birmingham becoming one of the most important cities in the world and also one of the cities where people most want to live. The plan will work with the way the city centre is set out now (the central part and the districts) and make a base on which Birmingham can grow and become a city where people want to live.
Original Document
The most important factor in raising the city’s status is the city’s liveability. This includes a good physical environment to attract people and improve the city’s image, with well designed buildings, streets and spaces; a range of attractive homes and social facilities including schools, local centres and open space, attractive and safe walking routes, efficient and easy to use public transport. The most liveable cities are economically successful and desirable. People want to live there; they attract highly qualified people and hence investment. They promote social inclusion. Table 2.1 shows Birmingham’s position on the Mercer liveability index. Liveability is the essential ingredient in the recipe to raise Birmingham’s role as a world city. The plan will focus on the objectives of world city and liveability: the global city with a local heart. Working broadly with the grain of the existing city centre structure – the urban structure of core and quarters – the plan will create the foundation for Birmingham’s growth and its progress as a liveable city.
Plain English Version
‘Growth’ is an important part of the Big City Plan. Birmingham will be an important centre for growth in England as a whole and also within the West Midlands region. The number of people living in Birmingham could grow by about a tenth to around 1.1 million people. There are a lot of young people living in Birmingham, which leads to a bigger population, and there will be more households and so more housing will be needed.
Original Document
Growth will be a key theme of the Big City Plan. Birmingham will be a major focus for growth in England and within the West Midlands region. The potential growth in population over this period could be up to 10% or more, raising the population to at least 1.1 million. Birmingham also has a young population which is itself an important driver of growth, and the number of households – and hence the need for housing – will also continue to grow.
Plain English Version
The city centre must help to house the rise in people and households that we expect for the city. There are two important things:
- we must have balanced neighbourhoods with lots of facilities that will mean that families want to live in the centre
- we must have planning rules that mean we have the right kind of new housing.
A growing population needs more jobs, schools, shops, places to go, places to enjoy. This report has ideas about how we can make this happen.
Original Document
It is clear that whichever option is followed within the Core Strategy, the city centre must play its part in accommodating the big rise in population and households that is forecast for the city. This has important implications in two areas. Firstly, the need to create balanced communities with a full range of facilities that will encourage families to live in the centre; and secondly, the need to adopt planning policies that allow for the right kind of residential growth within the centre. A growing population will need more jobs, schools, more shops, places to go, places to enjoy. This report suggests ways in which these changes may be realised and delivered.
Plain English Version
The city centre has many good points:
- it is easy to get to
- there is a wide range of people here
- it has great physical features
- its history and industry
- its well-known buildings
- good shopping and office areas
- its colleges, universities and research organisations
- its modern manufacturing base
- its strong technology network
- its separate districts
There are big chances to raise the city’s profile in business and arts and through technology and to make it even easier to get to by rail, air and Metro. The city is changing, the central area activities are getting bigger and the places it normally gets its workers from are getting smaller. We can see these changes in the buildings and other areas, where a central area is doing well and is close to other areas that are not keeping up or have less activity, lots of empty buildings and bad surroundings. Because of this, the plan will suggest changes that could happen in different ways. We could make the changes ourselves, change our rules to encourage other people to make the changes or make sure we don’t change the parts that are working well.
Original Document
MANAGING ECONOMIC AND PHYSICAL CHANGE AND PROMOTING REGENERATION
The city centre has considerable strengths in its accessibility, the diversity of its people, its great topography, its civic and industrial heritage, its iconic buildings, its strong retail and commercial sectors, its academic and research institutions, its modern manufacturing base, its strong IT infrastructure, and its distinct quarters. There are major opportunities to raise the city’s profile in commerce and arts and through digital communications technologies, and to further improve its accessibility by rail, air and Metro. At the same time, the city centre is experiencing dynamic change, with the expansion of central area uses and the decline of its traditional employment base. These changes are clearly reflected in the physical environment, in which a thriving core is in close proximity to several areas of stagnating or declining activity, substantial vacancy levels and poor physical environment. In recognition of this, the plan will propose delivery-vehicle based transformation, policy-based evolution or conservation in different parts of the city centre.
Plain English Version
This report suggests a number of choices for the ‘City Core’ central area and each of the districts. We recommend that the main areas for change are:
- the opening up of the Southside area south and west of New Street Station and linking with the redevelopment of the Wholesale Markets to create a new lively area that has a mixture of central area activities, with an important thing being a new lake where there used to be a moat;
- finishing the improvement of the Eastside area, including changing how the routes and spaces work to create an area where the city centre, university, research and media activities all fit together well;
- the renewal of Highgate and its improvement as a good example of a district where families live within walking distance of the city centre;
- the renewal of Ladywood as a good residential neighbourhood with a mixture of homes with Icknield Port Loop.
Original Document
This report suggests a number of options for the core and each of the quarters. The four recommended major areas of transformation are:
- the opening up of the Southside area south and west of New Street Station and linking with the redevelopment of the Wholesale Markets to create a new vibrant area containing a mixture of central area activities, with a major focus at a new lake based on the site of the original moat;
- the completion of the Eastside regeneration, involving the reconfiguration of routes and spaces to create a coherent area of city centre and university, research and media related uses;
- the renewal of Highgate and its regeneration as an exemplar quarter for family living within walking distance of the core;
- the renewal of Ladywood as high quality residential neighbourhood with a mixture of homes, connected with Icknield Port Loop.
Plain English Version
This report also suggests choices based on policy for the districts whose economic activity is staying still or falling such as the Gun Quarter, Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter. These choices include ideas to expand business, the creative industries and housing in these areas.
Original Document
This report also suggests policy-based options for the quarters that have experienced stagnating or declining economic activity including the Gun Quarter, Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter, which include ideas for the expansion of business, creative industries and housing within these areas.
Plain English Version
To raise the city’s profile, several things need to happen. The plan must offer chances for high-quality offices and shops in the central area to expand and for the city to carry on holding important international events in modern, high-quality venues. It must also allow for culture to develop, including the idea of using the city itself as a gallery; for the city’s academic and research profile to be raised; and for businesses and specialist activites to be set up and developed. It must also do something that is not so easy to plan for, which is aim to create or increase the things that make the city interesting, exciting and varied. So the central area will spread out, and there will be an area around it that will have a mixture of city centre and more local activities, shown on Figure 5.2. The questions later on in this report ask you what you think we can do in the city centre to let us achieve these goals:
- one of the most important cities in the world for business and high value commercial operations
- important in arts and culture
- a leader in making and using digital technology
- a source of research, development and new enterprise from our universities
- a profitable and growing environment for new high technology and green industries
- famous for its entertainment and leisure facilities
- shopping and town centre services and surroundings that are suitable for one of the most important cities in the world
- the right conditions to develop creative and fringe activities
- very good open spaces and public places (such as parks and squares)
- nice city centre surroundings where a variety of people live, especially families
- a city that is easy to get to and around with good transport and stations and that is good for telecommunications (such as phones, internet and cable services)
Original Document
To raise the city’s status, a number of factors need to come together. plan will need to provide opportunities for central area uses such as prime offices and shops to expand and for the city to continue to stage high level international events in modern, quality facilities. It will need to create the right conditions for the further development of the cultural assets of the city including developing the concept of the city itself as a gallery; the raising of the city’s academic and research profile; and for starting and growing central area businesses and niche, specialist activities. Less easily planned for, it must aim to create or foster the conditions that add human interest, excitement and diversity to the city. The central area will therefore expand further out of the core, and there will be a transition zone outside this area which will contain a mixture of city centre and more local activities, shown on Figure 5. 2. questions in the later sections of this report ask what can be done in the city centre to enable to realise the following ambitions as a global city:
- A world player in business and high value commercial operations
- A big international presence in arts and culture
- A leader in the development and application of digital technology
- A major seed bed for spin-off research, development and new enterprise from the universities
- A profitable and growth-oriented environment for clusters of emerging high technology and green industries
- A famed range of entertainment and leisure facilities
- Shopping and town centre services and environment commensurate with global city status
- supportive conditions for the strong development of creative and fringe use and activities
- Outstanding open spaces and public places
- An attractive city centre living environment for a diverse range of residents, especially families
- Outstanding accessibility, both physical and virtual, through high quality sustainable transport and user-friendly transport interchanges and high speed next generation telecommunication
Plain English Version
Making transport a priority
The plan will suggest creating a nice and safe network of city streets and investing in public transport networks and services. These might include making the Metro bigger, new fast buses, improving normal bus services and a system to manage traffic, parking and streets. This report has choices for these transport priorities. It also asks for ideas to expand digital and communications technologies (such as phones and computers).
Original Document
PRIORITISING TRANSPORT
The plan will propose transport priorities which will include the creation of an attractive and safe network of city streets and investment in public transport networks and services. These might include extensions to the existing and currently proposed Metro services, new bus-based rapid transport (BRT) services, enhancements to the conventional bus services and a dynamic traffic, parking and street management system. This report contains options for these transport priorities. It also seeks ideas for the expansion of digital and communications technologies.
Plain English Version
The Big City Plan will think about the best ways that Birmingham can cut greenhouse gases and the use of fossil fuels (such as oil, coal and gas) and increase the variety of living things. We will do this by:
- making sure buildings work well
- getting energy, water supply and drainage in a better way
- making air quality better
- creating habitats for wildlife
Original Document
The Big City Plan will consider how Birmingham can best reduce greenhouse gases and the consumption of finite resources and enhance biodiversity. Measures will include building performance, more efficient means of energy, water supply and drainage, air quality improvements and opportunities for habitat creation
Plain English Version
The first and best way is to make sure that buildings, spaces, land uses and transport work well together, and that we use technology (such as email, web meetings and using computers to work from home) to cut the need to travel.
Original Document
The first and most effective method will be to ensure that buildings, spaces, land uses and movement networks are arranged in a complementary manner, and that opportunities for digital media communication are further exploited, since these are the best ways of reducing the need to travel by less sustainable modes.
Plain English Version
Also, because of its tradition in manufacturing, Birmingham is in a good position to use green technologies for research and growing the economy. The question is, how much can the Big City Plan do to prepare for and encourage this.
Original Document
Moreover, Birmingham with its manufacturing tradition is in a good position to base research and economic growth on the development of green technologies. The issue is how far the Big City Plan can encourage and plan for the growth of this part of its economy.
Plain English Version
The “Issues and Options Report” will ask how Birmingham can be a leading environmentally smart city and help achieve the aims set out in the plan “Cutting CO2 for a Smarter Birmingham“. The ’smart city’ idea is important in the Big City Plan.
Original Document
The Issues and Options report will ask how Birmingham can be a leading-edge environmentally smart city and play a full role in delivering the city’s strategic framework - ‘Cutting CO2 for a Smarter Birmingham. The concept of the ‘smart city’ will be a strong theme running through the whole of the Big City Plan.
Plain English Version
The Big City Plan will also look at the chance to create waterside and green spaces around the outside of the city that are enjoyable, exciting and the very highest quality. We will look at:
- making new and bigger green spaces (like parks) and improving how people move between them
- making the canals safer, more well-known and well-regarded
- making the River Rea visible
We want Birmingham to have a beautiful city centre.
Original Document
The Big City Plan will also explore opportunities to create a ‘necklace’ of urban waterside and green spaces that are enjoyable, exciting and the very highest quality. We will look at creating new and expanded green spaces and improving the links between them; raising the profile, safety and diversity of the canal network; revealing the course of the River Rea. We want Birmingham to have a beautiful city centre.