Arcadis appointed to bring forward Birmingham’s Our Future City Plan

Birmingham City Council has appointed a major design and engineering firm to deliver the next phase of Our Future City Plan which will look at the city’s development to 2040.

Arcadis will work with the city council and partners to look at how Birmingham will evolve as a city as it continues to transform into a location for sustainable regeneration.

Our Future City Plan (OFCP) was informed by the successful Shaping Our City Together consultation conducted in 2021: it was designed to follow on from the Big City Plan (BCP), launched in 2011, which has been a major catalyst in attracting significant investment into Birmingham.

The BCP identified key transformation areas and quarters, guiding developers and investors, setting standards and outlining ambitions. While it has been a great success, both the city council and Arcadis recognise that the world continues to change, and the next phase of the OFCP will be essential for supporting the ongoing evolution of the city.

The next phase will encompass the development of high level proposals setting the ambitions and aspirations for the seven identified Central Renewal Areas of Birmingham.

All the proposals will reflect the six strategic ‘city themes’ – set out in the Our Future City Plan consultation document – promoting economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Arcadis will be responsible as lead consultant working with their key partners; Glancy Nicholls Architects and Glenn Howells Architects, PJA, Turley, Knight Frank, JLL and CRTKL to ensure that the future growth plans deliver benefits and opportunities for everyone.

The OFCP will be developed alongside a revised Birmingham Development Plan, which is due to be completed this year. The plan’s outcomes will create further opportunities for inward investment and collaboration with the city council, enabling high quality development to continue over the next few decades.

Birmingham will continue its journey to be an innovative, culturally distinct and unique global city where prosperity is shared by all.

Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “This is a golden decade for Birmingham: The opportunities presented by HS2, expansion of the Midland Metro and the Commonwealth Games, the city will continue to be a major regional, national hub and centre for international investment.

“As the main centre of development activity in our city over the last 30 years, investment in    the city centre has provided jobs, homes, improvements to sustainable transport, new cultural destinations and educational opportunities.

“This plan marks a major change from previous approaches to the city centre, with a clear intention to spread the benefits of development and investment into inner city areas, supporting access to infrastructure, jobs and improved public spaces.”

Simon Marks, City Executive at Arcadis, said: ‘’Birmingham is on an exciting journey, and over the last decade we’ve seen how new challenges and opportunities are impacting the shape of our city. From climate change and the digital revolution, to urban mobility and changing retail distribution patterns – and of course the need to drive post-Covid recovery – we are seeing irreversible changes to the way we live, work, play and learn in Birmingham.

“Our Future City Plan will be integral to addressing these needs, and we are privileged to be supporting Birmingham City Council in developing the Framework. Bringing the local understanding and experience of our team, combined with Arcadis’s global reach and best practice, our focus is on addressing the trends that impact the everyday lives of the citizens of Birmingham, ultimately improving quality of life for everyone living, working or travelling across the city.”