A scheme of 'Parks in the sky' could soon be coming to Birmingham, it was announced in Chicago Wednesday.
Clive Dutton, director of planning and regeneration for Birmingham City Council, outlined the idea in his presentation to the Climate Change seminar at the Intercontinental Hotel, one of the many forums and events during the Sister City International Festival.
Revealing Birmingham's three-year action plan for the city's climate strategy, Mr Dutton said he had been inspired by Chicago's hugely successful green roofs scheme, where hundreds of buildings across the metropolis have been given sustainable 'living' roofs to help absorb CO2 and provide living environments for wildlife and plants.
Chicago has four million sq ft of green roofs, more than the combined area of such schemes in all other US cities.
"Parks in the sky is one of my ambitions," Mr Dutton told the forum.
"I have the privilege of an office on the 25th floor [of Alpha Tower]; every day I look down on the rooftops and all I see is the concrete and machinery. My dream is to see parks in the sky, not just to provide habitats but provide public amenities for people; that is a dream to come through our city centre masterplan.
The city's motto is Forward and that is clearly the way to go in the future."
Mr Dutton told delegates how the city's new climate strategy plan was being launched today as part of Birmingham's week long Climate Change Festival. He explained a key aim of the three-year rolling action plan was to make Birmingham a Post Carbon Era City, cutting CO2 emissions (currently 6.6 million tonnes per annum) by 60 per cent by 2026, at a rate twice as fast as any other British city. "Our aim is to be a leader tackling the climate issues," he said. "It will be one of the city's USPs (unique selling points) to attract investment."
Other speakers at the seminar included Richard Wrigley, a partner at law firm Martineau Johnson, and Martin Jackson, managing director of Frankley-based firm Strip Tinning Automotive, who in the last four years have moved their business focus from tinning copper to be used in roofing to manufacturing heating elements for windscreens and solar panels, at the same time transforming and improving their green credentials.
