Comments for Big City Plan Talk http://bigcitytalk.org.uk A Place To Talk About Birmingham's Big City Plan Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:04:49 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 Comment on See eveyone’s comments on the Big City Plan by NSmithson http://bigcitytalk.org.uk/1632/see-eveyones-comments-on-the-big-city-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-277 NSmithson Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:04:49 +0000 http://bigcitytalk.org.uk/?p=1632#comment-277 A few thoughts on our Big City Needs. * All great cities have meeting places that stick out in the memory, we need more squares, more parks/green spaces,more trees and flowers,smart boulavards, more exciting water features, more public art. When visiting a city, if the "public realm" feels good you remember it and often you want to go back. * Lets somehow get a city centre wide metro or a Vancouver style "sky train" to get people( thats the city dwellers,workers and visitors) around the city and the city fringes. You can push buses as much as you like, but the answer to "big city" transport needs, it is not.Big cities such as London thrive on the "connectivity" the underground brings, every tube station point is an investment opportunity due to the amount of people passing through.Birmingham needs to try and replicate this idea with metro stations. * Edgbaston resevoir needs some investment to make it a real tourist attraction, the views of the city are breathtaking, but are spoilt by the litter,graffiti and run down surroundings.You wouldn't want large scale development but a cafe/restaurant/bar with seating on the lake/resevoir side with views across Birmingham would be wonderful. The tower ballroom looks like a factory, imagine it with verandahs overlooking the lake and a stylish roof design and gardens. * A museum celebrating our city of a thousand trades, this city was quite literally the birthplace of industry, or in otherwords the birthplace of nthe world we see today, how can we not celebrate it. The wholesale markets redevelopment should have as its centerpiece a celebration of our history, where the city was born. * Iconic buildings, we have made a start but lets see something people will not only say "oh yes thats Birmingham" but also " I want to visit Birmingham and stand by it or visit the sky bar" * Family homes in the city centre within a Regency or Georgian character village, modelled on streets in Leamington or Cheltenham * A dramatic large span of water,if it can't be Edgbaston resevoir, lets create a lake withinthe city centre boundaries thart will not only be tourist attraction, but also attract real estate developers to a substantial waterfront. Where there's a will there's a way, be bold like our forefathers, Birmingham is a sleeping giant, with so much history, so much potential and an incredible cultural mix. It is indeed a city of the future. A few thoughts on our Big City Needs.
* All great cities have meeting places that stick out in the memory, we need more squares, more parks/green spaces,more trees and flowers,smart boulavards, more exciting water features, more public art.
When visiting a city, if the “public realm” feels good you remember it and often you want to go back.
* Lets somehow get a city centre wide metro or a Vancouver style “sky train” to get people( thats the city dwellers,workers and visitors) around the city and the city fringes. You can push buses as much as you like, but the answer to “big city” transport needs, it is not.Big cities such as London thrive on the “connectivity” the underground brings, every tube station point is an investment opportunity due to the amount of people passing through.Birmingham needs to try and replicate this idea with metro stations.
* Edgbaston resevoir needs some investment to make it a real tourist attraction, the views of the city are breathtaking, but are spoilt by the litter,graffiti and run down surroundings.You wouldn’t want large scale development but a cafe/restaurant/bar with seating on the lake/resevoir side with views across Birmingham would be wonderful. The tower ballroom looks like a factory, imagine it with verandahs overlooking the lake and a stylish roof design and gardens.
* A museum celebrating our city of a thousand trades, this city was quite literally the birthplace of industry, or in otherwords the birthplace of nthe world we see today, how can we not celebrate it. The wholesale markets redevelopment should have as its centerpiece a celebration of our history, where the city was born.
* Iconic buildings, we have made a start but lets see something people will not only say “oh yes thats Birmingham” but also ” I want to visit Birmingham and stand by it or visit the sky bar”
* Family homes in the city centre within a Regency or Georgian character village, modelled on streets in Leamington or Cheltenham
* A dramatic large span of water,if it can’t be Edgbaston resevoir, lets create a lake withinthe city centre boundaries thart will not only be tourist attraction, but also attract real estate developers to a substantial waterfront.

Where there’s a will there’s a way, be bold like our forefathers, Birmingham is a sleeping giant, with so much history, so much potential and an incredible cultural mix. It is indeed a city of the future.

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