Public spaces are a shared responsibility, and a shared opportunity for Birmingham

When people talk about successful city centres, they often focus on headline developments and major tenants. But time and again, what shapes how a place truly feels, and whether people want to spend time there, is the quality of its public spaces, writes Alex Tross of Carter Jonas.

In Birmingham city centre, progress on this front has increasingly depended on cross-sector collaboration. Public sector ambition, private sector investment and local stewardship each have a role to play. None can succeed in isolation.

Public-private collaboration

At a time when our local authority resources are under intense pressure, collaborative delivery models have become essential. Public bodies provide democratic accountability, while the private sector, particularly property owners and businesses, bring the investment, agility and deep knowledge of how places function day to day.

Business Improvement Districts (BID) offer an established and credible framework for this collaboration. In Birmingham, our BIDs have consistently demonstrated their ability to convene stakeholders, align objectives and deliver tangible improvements at street level.

As vehicles rooted in direct place investment and short-term accountability, they are best positioned to deliver value for both businesses and citizens alike in public schemes.

Steelhouse Square: designing streets around people, not traffic

Steelhouse Square is a timely example of how public–private collaboration can start to unlock more people‑focused spaces in Birmingham’s city centre, while also highlighting the challenges inherent in delivering complex change.

Proposed as part of Birmingham City Council’s wider Snow Hill Accessibility and Connectivity Improvements Programme, the scheme seeks to reimagine a traffic‑dominated junction as a new civic square at a key gateway into Colmore Business District.

Developed with the involvement of Birmingham Colmore, the proposals include closing part of Steelhouse Lane to motorised traffic, removing the existing mini‑roundabout and giving greater priority to pedestrians and cyclists. The plans feature new trees and seating, improved crossings, enhanced safety measures and a dedicated two‑way segregated cycle route.

However, as the ongoing consultation demonstrates, ambition alone is not enough. The success of Steelhouse Square will depend on how effectively feedback is incorporated and how well competing needs (movement, accessibility, safety and dwell time) are balanced in the final design. There are important questions still to be resolved about how the space will function day to day, how it will encourage people to dwell rather than simply pass through, and how it will be managed and animated once delivered.

What Steelhouse Square does show is the value of early collaboration and open dialogue. By bringing public bodies such as BIDs, businesses and stakeholders into the conversation from the outset, the scheme reflects not only a shared ambition, but also a huge degree of patience in convening variable private partners. That collective commitment offers a chance to move beyond short‑term interventions towards a piece of public realm with long‑term value.

The next stage (translating consultation into delivery and stewardship) will be critical if Steelhouse Square is to fulfil its promise as both a connective route and a genuine civic space.

Connecting to a bigger vision

The public-private approach aligns closely with Birmingham’s broader ambitions for its central heart. The city’s emerging prospectus sets out a vision for a more connected, greener and people‑focused city centre, one where public realm supports economic growth, wellbeing and civic pride.

Delivering that ambition at scale will require several mechanisms and partners that can operate across boundaries, unlock investment and respond flexibly to local needs. BIDs across the UK continue to bridge the gap between strategic vision of government with on‑the‑ground delivery, particularly where improvements span multiple ownerships and use.

The role of property owners

There is a major opportunity to think differently about how long‑term public realm investment is funded and managed in cities. Property Owner BIDs ( which currently only exist in London as a result of current government legislation) have demonstrated time and again how the coming together of private sector investment is one of the few, long-term viable routes to improving places.

For Colmore, I lead our Property Owners and Agents Forum, which is an important step in that direction, creating a space for owners to engage collectively with placemaking priorities and explore longer‑term solutions for Birmingham.

The concept of a Property Owner BID builds on this thinking, offering a tool to support sustained investment in the public realm at a scale and timeframe that individual schemes cannot achieve alone.

For cities like Birmingham, where success depends on the quality and consistency of the shared environment, this model merits serious consideration and one we are keen to have the opportunity to explore further.

A moment for renewal

As Birmingham Colmore enters a new phase through its strategic rebrand and expansion, recently signing a Memorandum of Understanding with another of our city-centre BIDs, Southside District, there is a clear opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to partnership‑led placemaking.

More than ever, Birmingham city centre’s success depends on this collaboration – between sectors, between organisations and between the people who use these spaces every day.

Good quality, free to use and safe public spaces are not a ‘nice to have’. It is core infrastructure for economic vitality, social connection and long‑term resilience.

Birmingham’s experience shows that when the public and private sectors come together around a shared purpose, the results can reshape not just spaces, but perceptions of the city itself. And while there’s still much more to be done on the latter, now is the moment for parters, civic leaders and property owners to commit to long-term collaborative action and re-establish the city’s position as the home of UK growth and innovation.

• Alex Tross is deputy chair of Birmingham Colmore board & partner, head of agency at Carter Jonas