City Vision for 2035

Launch of Birmingham Vision: Global leading Anti-Racist City by 2035.

The Birmingham Vision was launched on 10th April, after a year-long collaboration called, ‘Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together’ (SBFT), engaged with and listened to citizens, community groups, neighbourhoods, and a variety of the city’s key institutions.

Birmingham is a city full of life, diversity, and potential. It’s a place where people come to live, work, study, and build their futures. From the bustling energy of the city centre to the rich cultures found in its many neighbourhoods, Birmingham is a city that inspires pride. But alongside this pride lies a pressing truth: while some parts of the city are thriving, others are being left behind.

For too long, Birmingham has been described as a “Tale of Two Cities.” On one side, we see cranes in the skyline and new developments springing up, especially in the city centre. But just a few miles away, many communities are experiencing high levels of poverty, unemployment, and lack of opportunity. This stark contrast is not just a matter of geography—it’s a matter of inequality. And it’s something that must change.

That’s why Birmingham needs a clear and shared City Vision. A vision isn’t just a set of aspirations; it’s a roadmap to a better future. The challenges Birmingham faces—like inequality, unemployment, and health disparities—are complex and interconnected. No single organisation or policy can solve them alone. That’s why a City Vision for 2035 has been created, born from collaborative work under the banner of Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together. It sets out a long-term plan that brings together organisations across the city to work collectively for the good of all citizens.

At the heart of the 2035 Vision is the belief that Birmingham can and must be a city where everyone—regardless of their background or postcode—can thrive. This means building a strong, inclusive economy, ensuring access to good jobs, education, housing, healthcare, and creating safer, more connected communities. It also means tackling systemic inequalities that affect people based on race, income, age, or ability.

The Vision draws from Birmingham’s proud industrial past and its resilient, multicultural present. It recognises both the current challenges and the incredible opportunities ahead. To guide this journey, five long-term missions have been identified. These missions focus on areas like inclusive economic growth, improving wellbeing, increasing access to opportunity, and creating sustainable, connected neighbourhoods. Crucially, these priorities will be delivered through an approach that centres on equality, early intervention, and prevention—ensuring that people get the support they need before problems take hold.

The City Vision is also a commitment. It’s a call for all sectors—public, private, voluntary, and community—to work differently, to work better, and most importantly, to work together. Birmingham’s future depends on rebuilding the capacity to drive change at every level, from neighbourhoods to city leadership. It depends on giving communities a voice and a stake in shaping what comes next.

With the City Vision for 2035, Birmingham has a chance to reimagine what kind of city it wants to be—and make that vision a reality. Not just a city that grows, but a city that grows fairly. A city where success is shared. A city where every citizen can say with pride: This is my city, and there’s a place for me in its future.

BRIG’S COLLABORATION ON CITY VISION

At the start of the process BRIG wrote to the Leader of the Council, Cllr. John Cotton to ensure the City Vision must be one of creating an Anti-Racist City, given its growing global majority status. BRIG first made the call for an anti-racist city in its May, 2022 – Birmingham Race Equality Manifesto, prepared for the local elections. We followed this up by the call for institutions, agencies, and community groups to sign up to a pledge to demonstrate a commitment to working together to create an anti-racist Birmingham and West Midlands in October 2024.  

Over 70 agencies signed up, with whom we alongside the ‘Birmingham City Partnerships Board will now look to engage others in creating a welcoming engagement architecture to deliver the anti-racist city vision.  We aim to ensure anti-racism is a central golden thread that runs through achieving the City Vision and its five missions.

As BRIG we are proud on engaging in the SBFT process and its central vision of better lives for young people and an anti-racist future for Birmingham. Let’s work proactively to realise our city’s vision by taking the action which will create a future that we can all be proud of.

To find out more about the Birmingham City Vision, click here.