Remaking Birmingham
This essay focuses on the subjects of urban regeneration and sustainability in the UK. I shall start by exploring the true meanings of the two subjects and how they are connected with one another. The UK has many urban regeneration projects happening all the time and I have chosen to focus on the city of Birmingham and the “Big City Plan.’ I am going to delve into the processes, objectives and outcomes of the project and come to my own conclusion as to whether urban regeneration in Birmingham is done in a sustainable way.
Cities cover just 2% of the world’s landmass, but more than 60% of the world’s population inhabit them, therefore urban regeneration is a massive global issue that needs to be fully understood and considered. What is urban regeneration? In short, urban regeneration is a combination of the processes that are undertaken in order to rejuvenate, and renew an urban place. One definition of urban regeneration is, “a comprehensive and integrated vision and action which leads to the resolution of urban problems and which seeks to bring a lasting improvement in the economic, physical, social and environmental conditions of an area that has been subject to change.” (Roberts 2000, p.17) This definition of urban regeneration is one that is very widely understood. It means that when urban regeneration is done well it will bring change to many aspects of a town or city, from the economic to the environmental. In the UK, cities are hugely important for the economic function of the country and if the cities are not prosperous then the country will not have the best economy it can. Therefore urban regeneration is a tremendously important matter.
There are many types of urban regeneration, five main ones that we focus on in the UK. First there is economic regeneration, which focuses on the income of the city, job creation and employment for the residents of a given urban area and the employability of the residents themselves. Secondly there is social
Cities cover just 2% of the world’s landmass, but more than 60% of the world’s population inhabit them, therefore urban regeneration is a massive global issue that needs to be fully understood and considered. What is urban regeneration? In short, urban regeneration is a combination of the processes that are undertaken in order to rejuvenate, and renew an urban place. One definition of urban regeneration is, “a comprehensive and integrated vision and action which leads to the resolution of urban problems and which seeks to bring a lasting improvement in the economic, physical, social and environmental conditions of an area that has been subject to change.” (Roberts 2000, p.17) This definition of urban regeneration is one that is very widely understood. It means that when urban regeneration is done well it will bring change to many aspects of a town or city, from the economic to the environmental. In the UK, cities are hugely important for the economic function of the country and if the cities are not prosperous then the country will not have the best economy it can. Therefore urban regeneration is a tremendously important matter.
There are many types of urban regeneration, five main ones that we focus on in the UK. First there is economic regeneration, which focuses on the income of the city, job creation and employment for the residents of a given urban area and the employability of the residents themselves. Secondly there is social