2.1.9 Expanding the Central Area
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