Urban design and local economic development: A case study in Birmingham

Abstract

Although the enhancement of architectural quality has traditionally been considered by planners as an apolitical issue, a number of urban governments and political elites are beginning to acknowledge the link between urban design and broader economic policies. Birmingham is a case study of a local authority that has explicitly recognized that improved urban design can contribute to local economic regeneration. Birmingham's urban landscape has been ‘re-imaged’ in an attempt to attract investment and act as a catalyst for economic rejuvenation. It is demonstrated how the city council have been careful to cultivate a new image for the city through policy initiatives, with the new urban landscape playing a crucial role in the transformation of the city from an industrial to a de-industrialized, service-based urban economy. The city's new urban landscapes are not simply an expression of broader economic and socio-cultural changes, but play an active role in shaping the external and internal image of the city. The paper concludes by reassessing the role of urban design in economic regeneration and suggests that while urban design policies can potentially make a positive contribution to the rejuvenation of a local economy, they can equally serve to distract from more pressing social issues.