birmingham 2026 & cities outlook 2009
Below is a comparison of the Centre for Cities Outlook 2009 which ranks major UK conurbations according to official data, with the Birmingham 2026 "our vision for the future" published in 2008.
This comparison raises several questions, including
- What measures will Birmingham need to put in place to raise the
educational levels of its population to challenge
other towns and cities?
- What new industries will the region attract, and what actions are being taken now to grow or attract them?
- Given the rise in under-18s and over-60s, what will be the proportion of the working population to the non-working? And what will be the social impact of these demographic changes?
- What actions need to be taken now in order to have "good public transport? (There are currently no plans for the large public transport infrastructure required for the 'vision' of 'connectivity', or any ideas or plans for mass transit systems within the region and beyond into Europe.)
It appears highly uncertain that the city will achieve its aspirations with regard to:
- education and skills (and so its
capacity to grow or attract new industries with knock-on impact on employment)
- public transport (and associated connectivity)
- and there are no plans in place for the city to achieve its admirable but ambitious target to reduce its carbon emissions by 60%.
A pdf of the comparison given above is here.