Working in a small, interdisciplinary team of undergraduates (5-8 students per group), you will be asked to develop initiatives and solutions designed to encourage young people to engage with the Green Heart and The Exchange. You will have an opportunity to meet with key stakeholders and planners, who will offer advice and feedback on your ideas. In addition, you will have the opportunity to attend workshops that will develop your skills in project management, presentation and digital media.
Groups will be assigned one of three challenges. Challenges One and Two will be considered within the context of either The Green Heart or The Exchange:
Challenge One: How do we ensure young people feel welcome in the space?
Challenge Two: How do we ensure young people feel a sense of ownership in the space?
Challenge Three: What transport initiatives could be introduced to make the city centre and the campus more accessible and connected? (Including, but not limited to, The Green Heart and The Exchange).
Ideas that could be discussed
- Exhibitions, Festivals and Events
- Apps and Digital Media
- Marketing and Communications
- Transport initiatives
…and many more!
What is The Green Heart?
The Green Heart is a striking new parkland in the centre of the University of Birmingham’s historic campus. Measuring over 12 acres, the Green Heart opens up the centre of campus for students, staff and the local community to enjoy.
It provides a unique space for performances, socialising, meeting and studying, while opening up views across the whole campus, as envisaged in the 1920s. It opens up new pedestrian and cycle routes, allowing students, staff and visitors to the campus to travel safely and with ease. Throughout the design process, the project team have also sought to create a sustainable, natural and environmentally friendly landscape; both for people and wildlife.
What is the Exchange?
The Exchange is the former Municipal Bank, located in Centenary Square. The building is currently being redeveloped and will accommodate a year-round public programme, a new incubator for student and graduate start-up businesses, and a range of collaborative working spaces for research, policy development, CPD and a new Leadership Institute. The building’s prime heritage spaces, including the old banking hall and vaults, will be re-opened to the public with exhibitions, events, workshops, performances and a welcoming café.
The aim of the redeveloped building is to reinvigorate the city’s civic vision for the modern day, utilising the University’s role as an anchor institution to bring together multiple stakeholders to address the challenges of our time and deliver inclusive growth for the region. This approach will bring the University’s research closer to people, enabling its work to inform, and be informed by, its audiences.