For over two hundred years, Birmingham has played a crucial role in the development of the British economy. Since the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, this West Midlands city has been undergoing constant geographic and demographic expansion. While this has put pressure on the city’s resources, it has also provided numerous opportunities for growth and development. In this article we take a look at how the various regeneration projects that will soon be a reality in Birmingham can help boost even further the local economy and transform the Midlands city into a model for successful urban planning and high standards of living.
Birmingham’s Big City Plan
The Big City Plan is one of the most important regeneration initiatives currently underway in Birmingham. This regeneration masterplan is designed to transform the city centre area over a period of 20 years, increasing the city core’s total area by nearly 25 per cent and improving connectivity and standards of living.
The Big City Plan was devised by Birmingham City Council following the comprehensive report published by Baron Mike Whitby, who has shown a lifelong commitment to improving the city’s livability and infrastructure standards. The Big City Plan was launched in early 2008 and it is expected that once it is fully completed, it will add 1.5 million square metres of prime floorspace, create more than 50,000 jobs, build 5,000 new homes, and contribute more than £2 billion to the local economy every year.
This clearly ambitious urban regeneration plan has identified six economic zones that will attract high-value businesses to the city, which include the Jewellery Quarter, St George & St Chad, Eastside, Digbeth, and Westside & Ladywood. In addition to these core areas in and around the city centre, the Big City Plan also aims to transform other outlying districts, such as Greater Icknield, Bordesley Park, Longbridge, Sutton Coldfield, South Edgbaston, Selly Oak, Aston, Newtown, Lozells, and the areas along the Eastern Corridor, which currently connects the city centre with Birmingham airport.
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