The idea is not just to fund cultural projects in cities, but that the winning city would host a number of traditionally ‘Londoncentric’ events, such as the Turner Prize and the Baftas. In addition, the first city will be named in time for 2012 and will receive coverage from the BBC. Burnham has talked about tackling the perception that all good arts activity happens in London, and this idea seems to go some way towards this.

Crucially the competition seems to be focused on how cultural activity can impact upon the regeneration of cities.* And this is where I think Birmingham has a case for the title. If Birmingham City Council are really serious that the Big City Plan will drastically change Birmingham as a city, then this kind of thing is exactly what they should be focusing on. Culture can shape cities, both physically and in the eyes of the rest of the world.  As far as I can tell, the culture section of the Big City Plan seems mainly focused on the existing organisations and venues, rather than the wider cultural life of the city (plus it also covers sport and leisure in the same section!) If there were better physical spaces that were accessible to all for creation of cultural works that would be a start, but projects need more than just a plot of land to make them happen. We need strong leadership and investment, in new ideas but also in those arts organisations that already do a fantastic job of advocating the city to the rest of the world. This is where I feel the Big City Plan falls short, because they are neglecting the idea of cultural regeneration in terms of investment in projects other than buildings. Could the Big City Plan support a developed ArtsFest for example? It will take something spectacular, a festival or outlandish project like Liverpool’s spider to demonstrate the potential of Birmingham as a truly cultural city. But if Liverpool can do it, why not Birmingham?

* This kind of investment in public cultural life during poor economic times is nothing new- Andy Burnham has pointed to FDR as an example when during the great depression he instigated large cultural regeneration projects as part of the New Deal. (I like such historical details )