The Curzon

Symposium 2016
Summary
A chance to reflect and discuss a new momentum
building and the future of the area turning a spotlight
on to one of the most historic, yet dynamic and forward
looking parts of the city with huge growth potential.

The Curzon Symposium 2016 was hosted by Birmingham City
University, on behalf of Birmingham City Council, on 14th
December 2016. It was attended by local businesses,
universities, council members and town planners.
The event took place at the Universitys Curzon Building and
featured three workshops designed to encourage collaborative
thinking and innovative ideas for transforming the region,
particularly the redevelopment of Birminghams Eastside.
As one of the most historic and forward thinking areas of the city,
Eastside, the home of the disused Curzon Street railway station,
has become an area of regional and national importance for
business and connectivity due to it being the proposed location
for the new HS2 rail station.
This document is intended to provide a summary of the
topics discussed and an overview of the key suggestions and
considerations derived from each of the workshops. It also acts
as your invitation to get in touch if you would like to continue to
collaborate on the development of ideas as projects progress.

Watch The Knowledge Hub Video

View Press Release

Partner Quote Videos

Watch The Place and its Identity

Workshop 1:
Connecting and boosting the
creative and technology sectors

Summary of topics discussed

How do we harness the talent of the citys young
population and ensure they have the appropriate
skills required by businesses?

How do we utilise existing local assets such as Fazeley

Studios and the Custard Factory?

With the great potential Knowledge Hub brings, what role

can universities play in creating success and what impact
will it have on graduate skill requirements?

How do we develop the right physical spaces to support

growth for start-ups, existing businesses and inward
investment, including digital infrastructures?

How can we use a digital infrastructure to deliver sustainable

services, increased well-being and economic growth?

Outcomes / Next Steps

Build a culture of learning through doing / making, even at
school valuing and showcasing the results

To engage the universities, businesses and communities to

solve real-world problems and inspire future entrepreneurship

Represents the youth of our communities for the Curzon project

This needs to be young people from the local community

There needs to be greater clarity on the assets already

existing in the area. Theres no directory or signage to them

A potential Digbeth Open Day

Connect people and problems to achieve greater results

Knowledge Hub needs to be dynamic, responsive and address

digital exclusion

Create a strong business case for Digital Infrastructure,

accelerating the implementation and using the weight
of the Universities to ensure success
Workshop 2:
Places, spaces and people

Summary of topics discussed

How do we transform the urban realm of the area to facilitate
growth whilst retaining the character of heritage?

How do we connect spaces and building?

How do we develop the new residential neighbourhoods?

Outcomes / Next Steps

Texture:

Small organisations and spaces should continue but we

should consider bigger anchors (but not huge)

Consider open ended design approach, guided by rules,

and not be impatient

Fine grain public spaces with a range of uses including

shared housing

Intensity / Density:

To be good, we need more living / working density

Birmingham lower density than many other thriving

urban areas

Achieve high density through brilliant mid-rise not high-rise

Culture:

We cant rely on the station to drive activity, we must

create an attraction

Example would be Tate Modern, University of Arts

Build on BCU, develop an independent cultural offer

Other considerations:

Consider safety stewardship

The viaduct should be better underneath than on top.

It should be used and loved

We need to build connectivity

Our process should be open and engaged
Workshop 3:
Land and development

Summary of topics discussed

How do we design new developments that not only preserve
and contribute to the character of the area, but that also
protect, enhance and maximise the existing heritage assets
in Digbeth?

How do we facilitate partnership working to help bring

forward commercially viable sites?

How do we prioritise our key opportunities for development?

How do we enable the right growth and development for

the area?

Outcomes / Next Steps

Digbeth design is anarchic in nature and we shouldnt iron
this out we need Guided Anarchy

Challenge is to intensify the uses

To encourage the communities will to improve design

through developing pride, empowerment and quality

Consider the pressures that might result from disruption

due to construction activities and the resulting impact on
the creative businesses

Small scale granularity is key to retaining character of the

area, however, some locations might be identified for larger
interventions

To consider the availability of affordable workspaces

and explore options to cross subsidise

Need to consider the design of the station to minimise

severance and maximise connectivity within the area

Digbeth high street is a barrier that should be considered

within the design

We will be in touch to discuss further development

on all areas of the workshops in order to produce a
sharpened proposition and bring these concepts to life.
Knowledge Hub: to collaborate with Birmingham City
University further as the project develops, please
contact: Rabia.Bagurai@bcu.ac.uk
Curzon Programme: for more information, please
contact: James.Betjemann@birmingham.gov.uk