In your case study make the following notes: 1. Why did Birmingham’s CBD go into decline? 2. What was done to help Birmingham’s CBD fight back? 3. How successful has the Bullring regeneration been?
Why did Birmingham’s CBD decline? In 1989 the Merry Hill out-of-town shopping centre opened. Birmingham’s CBD saw a decline in trade of 12% over the next 5 years.
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1960s urban highways separated the CBD from the rest of the city, making the CBD hard to get to.
How is Birmingham’s CBD fighting back? The City Centre is the cornerstone of the City Council's commitment to raise Birmingham's national and international profile. It is becoming a highly attractive and accessible place to visit and do business. Its reputation and influence as a major business, tourism and international meeting place continue to grow.
How is Birmingham’s CBD fighting back? Birmingham City Council’s main priorities for the City Centre are to: maintain and improve access to the City Centre by both public and private transport
improve the quality of the environment, particularly for pedestrians
Bringing shops and shoppers back The Bull Ring is one of the oldest parts of Birmingham and has been a market site for over 800 years.
The 1964 shopping centre was described by The Birmingham Post in 2003 as ‘a symbol of 60s urban decay’. From the 1980s, plans were made to rebuild the Bull Ring and in 2000 it was finally demolished. The largest retail regeneration project in Europe, costing £500 million, was put into action. The Bull Ring reopened in June 2003. 13 of 22
What can be done with empty buildings? The Mail Box on Wharfside Street used to be Birmingham’s Royal Mail Sorting Office. Its shell has been retained and the inside redeveloped into a multi-use mall. 40 retail outlets, including Harvey Nichols and Emporio Armani Two hotels – Malmaison and Days Hotel Office space – it is the new HQ for BBC Birmingham. 200 ‘executive’ apartments. 15 of 22
Key ideas The traditional characteristics of the CBD have created many problems.
Problems are environmental, economic and social. The main problems have resulted from the movement of shops and offices to edge-of-town locations. Regeneration schemes aim to improve the environment, reuse buildings and brownfield sites, create employment and attract more visitors. Birmingham City Centre has several projects that are successful examples of regeneration. 17 of 22
