● Bin Strike: This looks like a fragile ceasefire
A strike by bin collectors which had blighted Birmingham throughout the summer finally reached a ceasefire in August.
Union members went back on the road to clear up what had become, in some parts, huge piles of stinking rubbish. Everyone claimed victory.
Both trade union Unite and those close to then Labour council leader John Clancy hailed the resolution and, as expected, there were allegations of a "cave-in" from the opposition.
The dispute was eventually resolved in the courts in November, by which time Coun Clancy had stepped down as leader and the bin workers had secured a pay deal with the council.
● Transport tsar appointed to combined authority
A new congestion buster-in-chief was appointed this month to ensure Birmingham's road network is not crippled by works on HS2 and other major transport projects.
Anne Shaw was previously Birmingham City Council's assistant director of transport but she was recruited during the summer by Mayor Andy Street to the newly created post of West Midlands director of network resilience.
Traffic congestion already costs the regional economy more than £2 billion a year as well as causing frustration to thousands of commuters a day.
With construction work due to begin on the HS2 rail line through east Birmingham next year, extensions of the Metro tram network under way and plans to reopen key rail lines, the mayor decided he needed a troubleshooter in place to keep the region moving.
● Watchdog to step away from Birmingham City Council scrutiny
Birmingham City Council was taken off the Government's naughty step after a watchdog panel decided it no longer needed to oversee the local authority.
The Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel was set up by the Government to keep a close watch on the council's performance following the damning Kerlsake review in 2014.
It wrote to Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid to say the council was well on the road to recovery and the panel should be suspended.
A review published in August highlighted major progress for the troubled child protection services as it was about to be taken over by the newly formed Birmingham Children's Trust.
It also praises interim chief executive Stella Manzie and senior management who were brought in earlier this year following a £72 million budget overspend in 2016/17.
● £282m upgrade plans unveiled for Birmingham Airport junction
Plans for a new link road aimed at easing congestion around one of the region's most notorious motorway junctions were unveiled.
Highways England announced in December 2016 that it was launching a consultation into three different proposals for the network around junction six of the M42.
The government agency then unveiled in August which of the three choices would be carried out as part of a £282 million project.
The preferred route will see a new 1.5-mile dual carriageway link road constructed to the west of Bickenhill between the A45 Clock Interchange and a new exit on the M42 south of junction six near Solihull Road.
This junction will allow access to the NEC and airport for vehicles travelling north only on the M42 after junction five.
There are also plans to improve traffic flow at the junction six roundabout and install new local roads around Catherine de Barnes Lane and St Peters Lane.
● Edgbaston land deal for £85m apartment complex
More than 370 apartments are to be built next to Edgbaston cricket stadium as part of a £85 million development.
The UK arm of German investment group Patrizia acquired four acres of land next to the stadium from Warwickshire Country Cricket Club and the Homes and Communities Agency.
The pair announced in 2015 they were seeking a buyer for, at that time, 6.8 acres of land at the corner of Pershore Road and Edgbaston Road.
Patrizia UK is planning to build 375 flats, parking for residents and ground floor space for shops as well as a new access road.
The acquired land includes part of the cricket club's car park but a spokesman confirmed that an alternative area would be provided so the number of spaces for fans and visitors would not change.
● UK Central chiefs move to revamp HS2 station plans
The Government was urged to upgrade plans for a Midlands high-speed rail interchange in a bid to create a gigantic new urban centre.
The Department for Transport was formally asked in August to alter its blueprints for the Birmingham Interchange HS2 station near Birmingham Airport by development body UK Central Solihull Urban Growth Company.
Its ambitions for a major mixed-use development near the airport could add billions to the local economy - but it felt the current HS2 plans did not go far enough.
Published plans for the site comprised just a 'parkway' rail station and car parks serving the HS2 high-speed line between Birmingham and London, due to open in 2026.
The Urban Growth Company instead outlined major changes it wanted to see to the transport scheme to deliver the infrastructure needed for a fully-connected urban quarter - with HS2 at its heart.
● Landmark Iron Man statue to be uprooted from prime city centre spot
Fans of public art were a bit miffed back in August when it was announced that Birmingham's Iron Man statue was to be moved to allow for work on the Midland Metro extension.
The rusty 20ft statue was uprooted from Victoria Square a few weeks later where it had been leaning over for almost a quarter of a century.
It has been put in storage for more than a year, alongside the gleaming gold Boulton, Watt and Murdoch statue which is also in the way on the tram line extension running from New Street station to Hagley Road.
Created by famous artist Antony Gormley, the statue - real name is Iron: Man - has been a landmark since it was erected in 1993.
● Paradise unveils vision for landmark building at end of Broad Street
A new 13-storey office building is to be constructed in Birmingham city centre for the next phase of the Paradise regeneration project.
Details and images of the scheme were unveiled in August as developers held a public consultation ahead of lodging a planning application in December.
Called One Centenary Way, it is expected to be around 280,000 sq ft, have ground floor retail and food space, a roof terrace, basement parking and cycle hub.
It will be built on the site previously occupied by the old Birmingham Conservatoire and Fletchers Walk shopping precinct, demolition of which started in the autumn.
Work is well under way on the first two buildings at Paradise - One and Two Chamberlain Square - and new public realm which are being constructed on the site of the old Central Library and Paradise Forum mall.
