Modern Architecture »

You can tell a lot about a society and its politics by its architecture: conservative and re-assuring, or brutal and ‘new’. But where would a future historian look for the defining architecture of today and what would they find? Ambiguity? Lack of conviction? A growing feeling that both architecture and politics have grown irrelevant? If they looked harder, might they find architecture, of a different sort, that promises – for the first time in our history – the potential to build structures that will support genuine democracy at last?

Riots: Communities the Solution, Not the Problem »

There is a crisis with young people in particular but affecting large numbers of people, families and communities in city neighbourhoods who are effectively excluded from power and influence.  Steve Botham, Chair of the Chamberlain Forum, speaking to the BBC, stressed that the crisis is one of hope and of lack of engagement. He was [...]

Community First – Where and How? »

Community First is the new £80m government-funded programme that will run for four years, until March 2015. Despite some quirks relating to where the new fund will be available, it might actually ‘do what it says on the tin’ and start, in a small way, the practice of putting communities in the driving seat.

Community First in the Bull Ring »

Community and resident groups come together on Tuesday 18th October, 6pm at St Martin’s in the Bull Ring Tea Lounge to look at the new Community First fund and take a progress report on the city’s Transforming Local Infrastructure proposal. Community First More than £2m will be available through the Community First Neighbourhood Matched Fund [...]

Building Society – Connecting the Unconnected »

On Wednesday 21st September, people from across Birmingham gathered at a lively Resident University event facilitated by Chamberlain Forum, to discuss how civil society groups could be effectively supported. And, what kind of ‘infrastructure’ might be needed to do so.

The aim was to enable civil society groups to contribute to a vision for the future of infrastructure, and to find out more about the ‘Transforming Local Infrastructure’ programme.

Building Society in Birmingham »

With talk of a ‘broken’ society – recent looting and violence on our streets – this Chamberlain Forum Resident University workshop, on 21st September 2011 is for the people and groups who are building society. Building Society is an opportunity for grassroots community and voluntary groups of all sorts to meet and share views of [...]