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Revitalising CBDs

Birmingham case study

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What are the problems of the CBD?

What are the solutions? ~ Birmingham CBD

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What are the problems of the CBD?

What are the solutions? ~ Birmingham CBD

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Explain three reasons why the CBD’s traditional

role as the main shopping centre for the

surrounding region has been under threat:

a) Busy traffic in the CBD (1960s-80s)

b) Out of town shopping malls (1990s)

c) Internet shopping (2008 onwards)

Task A – CBDs under threat

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Explain two ways CBDs are fighting back

threat:

a) Pedestrianisation (1980s-90s)

b) New attractive CBD shopping malls

with anchor stores and

parking/public transport (2000s +)

Task B – The CBD fights back

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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?

Task C – Birmingham City CBD case study

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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.

1960s urban

highways

separated the

CBD from the

rest of the city,

making the

CBD hard to

get to.

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What are the problems of the CBD?

What are the solutions? ~ Birmingham

CBD

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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.

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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

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Regeneration schemes: New Street

Birmingham City Council

has implemented many

regeneration schemes for

its CBD.

These include:

New Street development

The Bull Ring

The Mail Box

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Regeneration schemes: The Bull Ring

Birmingham City Council

has implemented many

regeneration schemes for

its CBD.

These include:

New Street development

The Bull Ring

The Mail Box

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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.

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Regeneration schemes: The Mail Box

Birmingham City Council

has implemented many

regeneration schemes for

its CBD.

These include:

New Street development

The Bull Ring

The Mail Box

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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.

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Study the photograph.

In which part of a city was this photograph taken?

Give two reasons for your answer.

In recent years this area of a city has suffered problems.

Using examples you have studied, explain how these problems have been managed.

Examination question

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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.