A number of planned transport and land-use developments in Birmingham were expected to have a wide impact on not only the Westside, but also the entire city centre. Examples include development of Paradise Circus's metro scheme (including major changes to road layouts), HS2 at Curzon Street and SPRINT. The closure of inner ring road tunnels prompted the city council to investigate proposals to ensure that the accumulative impacts were considered and assessed in a robust manner.
Our review considered many competing land-use demands and aspirations for future land-use growth, spanning commercial, office, retail and residential. As several transport schemes were supporting plans of land-use growth, it was essential that the relationship between the transport network and various land-use proposals were fully understood. We capitalised on in-depth knowledge of wider initiatives and policies impacting on the Westside area to produce a comprehensive and informative report.
Our reporting involved extensive stakeholder engagement with the business district, local retailers and future land-owners and developers.
Value and benefits
- We drew upon experience of being a business located in the city centre to provide unrivalled local knowledge.
- We developed a unique model to assess the pedestrian and cycle connectivity.
- We undertook desire-line analysis to determine the ambience of the walking and cycling network in the Westside.