Good for the Brummies. After all, the city has given us not just Ozzy Osbourne, but Joseph Chamberlain, Benjamin Zephaniah and Tony Hancock. It has a fine history as a centre of British industrial might, from which sprang a tradition of philanthropy and civic pride, represented in the majestic architecture of Victoria Square. In recent decades, it must be admitted, the city has not been so well served by planners. They appeared to imagine that in the future people would never leave their cars, which means that trying to cross one of the many roads on foot is like trying to traverse a treacherous river.