Urban design and the historic environment
Organiser(s): Mike Hodder, Birmingham City Council (Mike.Hodder [at] birmingham.gov.uk)and Ian George, English Heritage (ian.george [at] english-heritage.org.uk)
This session will consider opportunities to make waves and design and demonstrate impact in the context of urban regeneration. Going a step further than avoidance or exclusion of heritage assets, engineering solutions to preserve them, and lines in the ground to interpret them, innovative design can make the most of the contribution of the historic environment to local distinctiveness and a sense of place as well as recognising the intrinsic significance of heritage assets. This can range from retention and celebration of historic street patterns and the reflection of property boundaries in building design to hard and soft landscaping that is both inspired by and interprets heritage assets.
The session is intended to attract a range of professionals including urban designers, architects and landscape architects. It will include case studies to demonstrate what can be achieved and also acknowledge difficulties and challenges in perceptions, design and implementation. A review of Birmingham’s experiences and achievements will include the medieval manor house, burgage plots and canals in the city centre and Metchley Roman fort in Edgbaston, as an introduction to site visits.
