Big City Plan

[8] Stephen Bayley writing in The Observer in 2008 described Manzoni's vision of Birmingham as a "Godless, concrete urban hell .

obsolete before it was finished",[9] while Ross Reyburn in The Guardian said the city had become a "brutalist, concrete-dominated slave to the motor car".

[11] The first main aim was to target the areas in the city centre that had not been developed following World War II, such as the canals.

The council worked closely with Argent, a developer, who redeveloped the area around the canals into a mixed use scheme Brindleyplace, which began in 1994 and was completed in early 2009.

[12] Another major part of the plan was to change the skyline of the city, which mainly consisted of postwar office buildings.

Between December 2008 and February 2009 there was an extensive public consultation stage, engaging with citizens in a variety of ways: a website, newspaper supplements, leaflets, posters, a conference, and even an exhibition on a bus that toured inner-city residential districts.

[17] A large part of the scheme was the redevelopment of the Bull Ring, which has been an important feature of Birmingham since the Middle Ages, when its market was first held.

It has been developed into a shopping centre twice, first in 1964, but its Brutalist architecture became much disliked by the public and the building was seen as a major part of Birmingham's "concrete jungle" image.

Due to the economic slowdown, the office space is not needed, and the "twin towers" plan has been shelved until the market picks up.

Floors 7 to 14 are currently being fitted out for legal firm, Wragge & Co who have signed up for 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2) of space, a new record for the Birmingham office market.

The £127 million state-of-the-art, electrically powered light rail system will also provide quick and easy access to Birmingham's business district and the Jewellery Quarter.

Designed by Ken Shuttleworth of Make Architects, the mixed use development contains 135 flats, 111,500 ft² (10,360 m²) of offices, shops, a hotel and a 'skyline' restaurant.

It will be located next to Alpha Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Birmingham, on what is currently a multi-level underground car park.

[44] The proposal consists of a 56-storey tower, measuring 200.5 metres (658 ft) tall, housing retail units, a luxury hotel, residential apartments and car parking.

Lee Bank was a large inner-city council estate, built on one of five designated redevelopment areas following World War II.

[45] Originally slum housing, it was cleared by the council who constructed numerous tower blocks and low rise maisonettes.

It was designed by John Madin and the Brutalist architecture of the conglomerate of buildings is seen by many as contributing to Birmingham's concrete jungle image.

[54] In July 2012, Argent submitted an outline planning application to develop up to 10 new buildings, which include a new upgraded Copthorne and a concert hall for Birmingham City University’s school of music.

Also planned for location at Masshouse was Birmingham Magistrates' Court, which was scheduled to begin building in March 2010 to be completed in early 2013, but has since been cancelled by the Conservative-LibDem Coalition government.

The Hotel La Tour group plans to open the four star in February 2012, creating 100 full and part-time jobs in the area.

Martineau Galleries was a proposed mixed-use development to connect the Eastside to the city centre core and was also to be located on the High Street, a major retail area.

There was also to be a block with two towers protruding, one of which was estimated to be 110 metres in height with 29 floors and a sloped roof with two rooftop gardens either side of these.

It is expected that once HS2 is complete journey times from London into Birmingham City Centre will be reduced to 45 minutes with the potential to bring £1.4 billion of economic value (GVA) into the region.

Complete with state-of-the-art environmental and energy systems, the final development is likely to consist of a Marriott Hotel, apartments, green spaces, a niche shopping centre, a public space intended to house Birmingham's historic John F. Kennedy memorial and two refurbished cold storage buildings which will be redeveloped as creative industries business incubation and innovation hubs.

By February 2011, a question mark remained over the development of the site's 27-storey tower block, as construction will only commence once occupiers are found.

The Custard Factory is again set for an expansion with the refurbishment of the adjacent Devonshire House being approved by Birmingham City Council in August 2007.

Opposite the Custard Factory is a five-storey office development named Rhubarb designed by Bryant Priest Newman Architects which was completed in February 2010.

An area between Fazeley Street and the Grand Union Canal in Digbeth, named Warwick Bar, has become the focus of redevelopment itself with the construction of new modern buildings and a restoration project of an old Victorian storage facility.

Created by Birmingham-based architects, Capita Lovejoy, the ‘Golden Square’ will provide a focal point for visitors and shoppers within the Quarter.

[51] Birmingham city centre is located on a sandstone ridge and is about 100 metres above sea level meaning that towers no taller than 40 storeys are advised due to CAA height restrictions.