BLOSSOM positions Birmingham as a frontrunner in developing scalable, bankable solutions to climate change. The pilot builds on the city’s existing commitments to climate action and inclusive growth, including the City of Nature Plan and the East Birmingham Inclusive Growth Strategy. With an initial £5 million investment and ambitions to leverage £30 million more, the project will deliver a comprehensive programme of technical and social innovation. The outcomes will inform a scalable strategy for the wider East Birmingham Corridor and serve as a blueprint for other cities in the UK and Europe.
The Birmingham pilot is delivered through a strong local and national partnership. Birmingham City Council leads the pilot, working with the University of Birmingham, The Crown Estate, and Places in Common. This collaboration brings together public leadership, academic research, land and asset management, and community-rooted design.
Internationally, Birmingham is part of a wider consortium of over 25 partners from across Europe, coordinated by The Lisbon Council. Partners include research institutions, SMEs, and financial organisations from Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal. The project is structured around Frontrunner Cities (FRCs)—Lisbon, Birmingham, and Kielce—which lead demonstration pilots, and Follower Cities (FLCs)—Parma, Aarhus, West-Vlaanderen, and Alentejo—which replicate and adapt the solutions tested by the FRCs.
The Birmingham pilot aims to demonstrate how participatory, co-designed urban planning can deliver bankable, nature-based solutions that enhance climate resilience and social equity. It focuses on East Birmingham, where climate vulnerability intersects with health and economic inequalities. The project seeks to develop new investment models—such as public-private partnerships, community investment tools, and social impact bonds—that can support long-term, inclusive regeneration.
The Birmingham pilot will implement and test three types of bankable solutions: green building developments, urban reforestation and multifunctional green spaces, and energy efficiency retrofits. These will be supported by innovative financing models (IM1, IM2, IM4).
By the end of the project, Birmingham aims to achieve:
A measurable increase in trust in co-participated urban policies
BLOSSOM will deliver tangible improvements in climate resilience, biodiversity, and community wellbeing. It will enhance access to green spaces, reduce urban heat, and support energy-efficient retrofits. The project also aims to increase trust in local governance, attract impact investment, and create new economic opportunities for residents and SMEs.
The pilot is anchored in the East Birmingham Urban Living Lab (EBULiLa), a platform for co-creation and experimentation. With over 30 active participants, including residents, SMEs, and public and private stakeholders, the Living Lab facilitates collaborative planning, testing, and monitoring of interventions. Activities include community workshops, stakeholder engagement, and the development of a place-based investment prospectus. Digital tools such as dashboards and digital twins support participatory planning and real-time monitoring.
The project’s kick-off meeting took place in Brussels in September 2025. Read all about it here: BLOSSOM project kicks off in Brussels to accelerate climate innovation – Distinctly Birmingham
Dive deeper in the project here! Home – Project Blossom
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