Regenerating Birmingham (1955-1975)

Synopsis

In the mid-1950s, Birmingham’s City Engineer Herbert Manzoni embarked on an ambitious building project, along with his team of architects and builders, by redesigning and transforming the city centre into a modern metropolis. This film features compilations of archive footage made by the city’s Public Works Department, as well as regional news reports, with insight provided by Birmingham historian Carl Chinn. The DVD is arranged into the following sections: Prologue; Birmingham as it was; Housing Problems; The Inner Ring Road; The Bullring; New Plans, Old Plans; Greening the Neighbourhoods; High-Rise Headaches; New Directions.