Author Archives: Patrick Willcocks
Life and Death of Smart And Green Birmingham
Intriguing title eh? Well this blog post is all about the ambition of Birmingham to become a Smart Green City. We have heard much about this in the last year as we have had strategy, visions and roadmaps launched. The latest being the Carbon Road Map that I briefly reviewed here. We await the latest […]
Birmingham’s Carbon Road Map – launched – Well done Birmingham City Council
I haven’t got time to do a full review, but as it is a very important document for the City and it has come out today I have literally skim read it. (Download it here) It does look very promising. Whilst it is good to look at, ie up to coffee table standard it is […]
Closure of the A38 tunnels; the City coped well – so lets think longer term
I don’t avidly look at reports produced by Birmingham City Council but what are interesting sometimes are the reports presented to the Overview and Scrutiny panels. I came across an interesting one today; a report on how well the city’s transportation system had coped with the closure in the summer of the A38 tunnels. Now […]
Birmingham’s Mobility Action Plan – Wow what a Game Changer!
I have waited quite a time for this plan but the wait has been worthwhile. It is perhaps the most fundamental change in thinking this city has proposed in the last 30 years – ever since the city centre regeneration work got under way. So what is so radical about it. Well for once it […]
Smart Smart Smart Cities
I had the pleasure last week of attending the EU Open Days event in Brussels; four days where cities and regions present the latest on how they are investing EU monies to deliver on the EU 2020 objectives of Smart Sustainable and Inclusive Growth. It may be me but I felt that there was really […]
Photography and Cities
Well to be honest Stockholm and Birmingham but this could apply elsewhere. I recently came back from Stockholm where outside of work I discovered Fotografiska – a wonderful photography gallery in a converted dockside warehouse which was packed with visitors even though it was way of the beaten track. It is a bit like the […]
Birmingham’s Green Spaces Living plan: An action plan or a coffee table book
Birmingham’s Green Spaces Living Plan is as usual a thorough document with great analysis; it cross refers to a weight of other strategies documents, partnerships and support groups but its shortest section is on Implementation and Funding; a section which to be honest I don’t understand. It has worthy aims and does show a few […]
Smart Specialisation Event
Just a short post. This event being held in Belfast looks like a very interesting one day conference on smart specialisation. It might be a good place for LEPs aspiring to major on innovation to attend https://uksmartspecialisationconferenceni.eventbrite.co.uk/
Free social media advice at BBC Birmingham for local community and voluntary groups.
The Birmingham based social media movement has teamed up with the BBC to run their long standing Central Birmingham Social Media Surgery from the BBC Mailbox. It means you can now get free practical help in how make the best use of social media for you cause or group from BBC staffers and local bloggers […]
What is Smart Specialisation when it is at home?
Many LEPs across the country are waking up to this new European term as with the responsibility being given them to spend EU structural funds from 2014-2020 comes a new approach to targetting resources to be spent on innovation. The term Smart Specialisation is an approach to developing Regional Innovation Strategies which whilst not compulsory […]
UrbanPivot 