PROJECT HISTORY
The challenge
Net Zero targets and a growing need to regenerate its city saw Birmingham City Council looking for ways to optimise and upgrade its transport network
Delivering Birmingham’s ambitious low carbon transport future
Transforming Birmingham's Transport: Arcadis' TSO
The solution
Arcadis’ data-driven Transport Strategy Optimiser helped Birmingham City Council choose the best projects to progress, based on their specific needs
The impact
Birmingham City Council were able to base their transport plans and investment on a range of sound and detailed metrics
A long list of 515 schemes
optimised into a preferred/programmed package of 335 interventions
£1.7bn
worth of interventions considered
14 scenarios rapidly assessed
with 140 critical data points created
The challenge
Birmingham City Council has embarked on an ambitious journey to be a leading green city in the UK, with a target to reduce 60% of its carbon emissions by 2027 and improve public health. Upgrading and improving the city’s transport network will play a key role in this, which is why the council produced a new transport delivery plan. The challenge came in finding out how they could reduce transport’s damaging impact on the environment, whilst creating an accessible city for residents, workers and visitors in the most efficient way possible.
The solution
Arcadis’ innovative Transport Strategy Optimiser (TSO) tool helped Birmingham decide which projects it should progress based on outcomes across multiple goals (including net zero, health, levelling up and economic growth), and constraints (cost, resource, and customer impacts). The AI-optimized decisions recommend the best investment plan and programme using rapid scenario testing. This was done together with stakeholders in live workshops to allow for complete buy-in and collaboration between parties. From a longlist of 515 schemes, TSO created a preferred/programmed package of 335 interventions.
From there, the team created and delivered a suite of integrated tools, including TSO, to develop Birmingham’s transport plan. This meant TSO can continuously support the council. Scenarios, packages, and anticipated outcomes can be updated in TSO based on the latest data and scheme benefits and constraints, whilst also reflecting new funding opportunities and changes to objectives. Different delivery priorities (aligning to the identified needs or funding allocations secured) can be reflected to update phasing and programming of the Capital Programme. It can also support monitoring and evaluation activities, highlighting gaps in delivery across different geographies or metrics, with TSO helping to identify focus areas to meet KPIs.
The impact
Arcadis’ innovative Transport Strategy Optimiser (TSO) tool helped Birmingham decide which projects it should progress based on outcomes across multiple goals (including net zero, health, levelling up and economic growth), and constraints (cost, resource, and customer impacts). The AI-optimized decisions recommend the best investment plan and programme using rapid scenario testing. This was done together with stakeholders in live workshops to allow for complete buy-in and collaboration between parties. From a longlist of 515 schemes, TSO created a preferred/programmed package of 335 interventions.
From there, the team created and delivered a suite of integrated tools, including TSO, to develop Birmingham’s transport plan. This meant TSO can continuously support the council. Scenarios, packages, and anticipated outcomes can be updated in TSO based on the latest data and scheme benefits and constraints, whilst also reflecting new funding opportunities and changes to objectives. Different delivery priorities (aligning to the identified needs or funding allocations secured) can be reflected to update phasing and programming of the Capital Programme. It can also support monitoring and evaluation activities, highlighting gaps in delivery across different geographies or metrics, with TSO helping to identify focus areas to meet KPIs.
