A neighbourhood of the future in Birmingham?!

In the heart of Birmingham’s Ladywood, Civic Square is quietly rewriting the rulebook on how our communities should look—and they believe it all starts on your doorstep

Our Fair Future has teamed up with Antidote to bring you stories of people building a future that works, and they’re doing it in communities just like yours, showing what’s possible when we take charge together.

Forget big government schemes or endless council paperwork—this neighbourhood outfit insists the answers to our biggest future challenges lie in ordinary streets, ordinary people, and even something as simple as sharing a pot of tea.

Civic Square’s bold mission? To rip up the tired old idea that progress is only about endless economic growth and instead imagine a world where people and the planet live side by side—sustainably, beautifully and, yes, joyfully.

The group doesn’t shy away from shaking up convention. Empty warehouses? They see them as future hubs buzzing with life. Tired streets? They want locals to lead the charge in retrofitting them for the future. They argue that the impossible—greener communities, warmer homes, stronger connections—is not only possible, but already happening.

At the heart of their message is a rallying cry: it’s not about waiting for someone else to fix things. It’s about picking up the kettle, calling a neighbour, and starting small. Supper clubs, street trade schools, even climate chats under a tree—Civic Square offers the tools to turn these everyday moments into something extraordinary.

Their philosophy is simple but striking: “Start where you are, go where the energy is, and put the kettle on.”

Whether you see it as radical or refreshingly common sense, one thing’s clear— from Ladywood to the wider world, Civic Square is daring us to believe that a better way is possible.