Birmingham plans for eco-homes

Birmingham has joined a group of seven international cities taking part in a development project to create environmentally-friendly homes.

The city will join the likes of San Francisco, Seoul, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Madrid and Hamburg in the Connected Urban Development (CUD) initiative.

Under the scheme, the cities will share information about a number of green housing issues - including carbon-neutral homes - as they incorporate environmental factors in to the planning regulations for future eco-towns and green developments.

"I welcome the invitation to join forces with San Francisco to become one of the world's leading authorities on tackling climate change," said Birmingham city council leader Mike Whitby.

He added that participating on the scheme "underpins Birmingham's resurgence as a global city that major cities want to partner".

The scheme is supported by former US president Bill Clinton, as well as information technology firm CISCO, which is assisting in the scheme with research and development resources.