Need proof of Birmingham’s ascent? One Eastside, the tallest new tower in the city, just marked a topping-out milestone: the 51-story, $269-million residential development will offer 667 build-to-rent homes and all the amenity goodies when it opens in 2026. In a close race to the top, the 49-story Octagon skyscraper in the Paradise redevelopment topped out in September 2024, bringing 364 homes to the skyline. Construction is about to begin on the 42-acre Smithfield, with a masterplan that includes over 3,000 homes, office, retail and a scheme for the historic Bull Ring Markets. Digbeth’s new Boxpark food and event containers complex starts hopping in 2025.
Infrastructure is weaving Birmingham more tightly together. The Eastside Metro tram extension is to deliver a temporary terminus by 2025-26; a bold $1.5-billion “necklace of opportunity” tram proposal promises to link the city center to Heartlands Hospital, the airport, NEC and the future Blues stadium. Watch the #36 Public Transit and #50 Airports rankings rise. The innovation ecosystem hums: Bruntwood SciTech’s 11 campuses are growing, and in 2024-25 the West Midlands topped FDI outside Greater London with 130 projects producing more than 5,800 jobs – more projects than Scotland, and more than Wales and Northern Ireland combined.