Birmingham: Shaping the City

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Ben Flatman

Format: Book
Pages: 218
Publisher: RIBA Publishing
Date Published: Mar 2008
Stock Code: 60397
ISBN: 9781859462454
Binding: Hardback

About the author

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Description

This book is a lavishly illustrated and authoritative assessment of the redevelopment and regeneration of Birmingham. It recounts the story of how the once-grand Victorian city became parodied as a city of unremittingly mediocre architecture, drab pedestrian underpasses and alienating urban motorways, only to be radically reinvented as a vibrant, stylish and sucessful urban centre fit for the 21st century.

The tide turned in 1988 at the Highbury Initiative, a seminal meeting of architects, developers and policy-makers, marking a belated but vital reassessment that led to arguably the most dramatic transformation of any city in the country.

The book also tells the story of hugely ambitious projects such as the Bullring and Brindleyplace, often implemented in the face of great opposition, driven by a rediscovery of Joseph Chamberlain's unique brand of Victorian civic entrepreneurialism.

The book identifies the drivers for change in the renaissance of contemporary Birmingham and explores the depth and complexity of the public-private partnerships involved in the delivery of urban change. A series of case studies illustrates the processes involved in this transformation, assessing their influence on planned future projects and provides a chronology of key regeneration events over the last 20 years.

Birmingham: Shaping the City celebrates the importance of urban design for sucessful regeneration in this ever-changing city. It makes a lasting contribution to reinforcing the city's collective consciousness, presenting a coherent narrative of where the city has come from and where it could go.

About the Author

Ben Flatman

Ben Flatman went to school in Birmingham, before going on to study architecture at the Bartlett and the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles. As well as writing, he has appeared on television and gives regular lectures on architecture and urbanism. He currently works for Ian Ritchie Architects in London.