I sympathise with your viewpoint but let me share with you my personal experience. Birmingham has a long way to go!!

I was in Leeds and Birmingham visiting friends this festive season. I currently live in Edinburgh.

My views on both cities:-

Birmingham :- A confusing central area for the visitor – nothing in the bullring shopping area to distinguish it from any shopping area in any city in the uk.

Groups of hoodies loitering in the centre, especially as darkness falls.

Asked for directions to New Street Station – people were obliging but seemed melancholic in attitude. Perhaps it was the weather, as it was raining.

New Street Station – looked very shoddy. The shopping arcade above it – is very 1970s.

Cafe Rouge to meet a friend – nice staff and quick service – would recommend.

Leeds:- Arrived at a lovely upgraded railway station. People definitely seem happier and always willing to assist with directions.

Lots of evidence of a thriving commercial center. Beautiful new architecture.

No evidence of hoodies in the center – though large gothic crowd at the corn exchange – no menace though.

Walk down the briggate and on the headrow – very pleasant.

Went to Red Chili Chinese restaurant – good food + ok service.

Birmingham could learn a lot from Leeds!

Not rambling at all! I think you’re probably right. I guess I’m annoyed because, being in a line of work that involves regularly talking to a diverse range of people about Birmingham, I am often faced with mocking out-of-date stereotypes.

It’s disheartening and I know some graduates leave the city because they want to live somewhere with a better image. It’s seen as cool to live in Manchester, Leeds and even Sheffield nowadays. What I don’t understand is why on earth is it not the same for Brum?!

If we keep on working hard, getting on and enjoying the place (which I hope I do anyway), does that mean one day we will just wake up and Brum ’s slightly cruddy image will have disappeared? I don’t know… perhaps. Perhaps I’m just being impatient.

I’ve just got this feeling that reputations are not built solely on somewhere being a nice place to live, they’re built because something exceptional happens – the Beatles in Liverpool, the fringe in Edinburgh – and then a city cashes in and partly trades on that.

I suppose that’s why I’m interested in the Mr Brum idea. Contrived it may be, but it’s one way of filtering down to a couple of things we are really uniquely good at and then pounding at them to make sure everyone else realises we’re good at them too.

As a Londoner originally I can remember my own misconception about Birmingham, but actually back in the early 90’s when I first came here it was pretty grim (although I loved the old Bullring). The only place to get coffee was Mr Egg or Spud u-like on New St. However the atmosphere was always extremely friendly compared to London.

Within the 15 yrs I’ve lived here the city has transformed. But it takes a great deal longer to transform a reputation than destroy one (as I’m sure any PR /marketing bod would testify). Personally I don’t think it’s worth worrying about what those possibly ignorant to the city’s charms have to say. Ultimately things are much improved and improving, I imagine this is reflected in graduate retention but it is a slowish burn.

Last night I had a nice chat with a lady who runs a local arts org and we were both of the concensus that B’ham is sometimes a little self-concious and contrived (Mr Bham even) in its approach. Me and said lady just felt like this is a fantastic place to live, we all just need to get on with it and really enjoy it. And by that I mean all the CI companies/orgs etc and really promote, celebrate the good stuff because slowly that will be the stuff that changes perceptions and reputations and in the meantime we get to enjoy our city rather than fret about it.

Possibly rambling…
Charlotte

cool blog, always thought you would make an excellent blogger! Found it by accident from facebook. How are you taking to wordpress? just asking as its the blog of choice that we use..

Nice to hear your sticking up for good old brum, have come across it to from time to time but don’t think its just restricted to design, I think the City and the midlands in general still has a stigma and an image problem with people who haven’t visited the region recently.

At our launch we had guys from up from London, and the first thing they said was how shocked they were at how colourful the city was;- red brick, canals, green spaces, not the concrete 60’s mess they were expecting.

I personally think that there are still a lot of people out there who have a miss guided image of the city as being this tired run down industrial city. When anyone who has visited the city in the last 5years knows thats its a thriving city no just in the creative sectors but economically as well, you just need to spend some time loitering around Collmore Row and Brindly Place and you will be confronted by masses of business suits.

Anyway have moaned enough, great blog !!! <- FROMAGE exclamations, pop round the office next time you in the area, you can see gill’s awesome mural of the city scape now if only we could convince the Council to fund something so creative..

Keep up the good work.

Gaz

“Birmingham? Oh I think I’ve heard of it.” or worse…