Central Birmingham 2040

The tenacious ambition of the framework will establish the city as a world leader in sustainable living and working by 2040, combining community, connectivity, housing and proactive plans for investment and jobs to create a greener, more liveable city for everyone.

Working in partnership with what already exists, the plan envisages a liveable city of thriving, connected neighbourhoods—a place where new housing and green spaces are embedded together alongside new-generation knowledge and innovation quarters and tech clusters. In collaboration with Birmingham City Council, Arcadis, local regenerations forums and stakeholders across the city, Our Future City integrates the knowledge and expertise of urban designers, policy makers, business leaders and grassroots organisations. As urban designers, our in-depth understanding of Birmingham’s unique social, historical and architectural evolution—what makes the city tick—has enabled us to weave an authentic vision for the future of Birmingham that reinforces existing place identities, communities and shared histories.

Birmingham is the UK’s second largest city with one of the youngest and most ethnically diverse populations in Europe. Since the release of the Council’s Big City Plan in 2011, great things have been accomplished, with the city centre undergoing a major transformation.

Building on this amazing momentum and energy, Our Future City extends the metamorphosis outwards to surrounding inner-city districts, expanding the city core from 800 to 1,800 hectares. Key to the vision is a Greenway Loop Park, consolidating the citadel of the city's heart while creating a green ‘ring’ that will embed biodiversity and sustainable connectivity between a network of neighbouring inner-city villages, each with their own identities, energy and character.

Fundamental to the framework is the drive to create and communicate a shared vision that will improve the lives and life chances of people across the whole city of Birmingham.

“This is arguably the most important strategy written about our city for more than a century.”
Simon Delahunty-Forrest, Birmingham City Council

Our Future City celebrates the uniqueness of Birmingham while learning from some of the most liveable cities in Europe, including Copenhagen, Lyon and Vienna. Planning for 35,000 new family led homes, 74,000 new jobs and 200km of active travel routes, the strategy rethinks car-oriented Birmingham, aiming to increase residential density by over 250% in line with our European neighbours while also doubling urban green spaces across the city’s footprint.

At the community level, the plan looks in detail at the distinctive characteristics of five inner-city neighbourhoods, connecting them with green and sustainable walking, cycling and public transport routes.

“Throughout the development of the Our Future City Framework, Howells have been an essential part of the professional team and many of the proposals in the document have been shaped by their expertise in design and place making. The Framework’s vision is based on Birmingham being comparable to successful European cities and Howells’ understanding of how other cities have achieved high quality sustainable development by maximising the land at their disposal has informed our approach to developing the Framework’s ‘Bold Proposals’ to make Birmingham a leading international city by 2040.”

Deborah Cadman, Chief Executive, Birmingham City Council 2021-24