What's in a name? Quite a lot if you live in Perry Barr, Birmingham, where the streets will soon be given aspirational ones, such as Inspire Avenue, Respect Way and Diversity Grove. The names were chosen after Birmingham City Council invited residents to submit suggestions to their local authority. “They are values that we share in the city and also reflect the Commonwealth Sport Movement values of humanity, equality and destiny – which is entirely appropriate given our status as host city for the 2022 Commonwealth Games," said Birmingham Councillor Waseem Zaffar. The competition winner Louise Kilbride, who lives about a mile away from the renamed roads, believes they have "a positive meaning for local people" and serve as a reminder that "everyone deserves decent housing." Her comments recognise the fact that Perry Barr is among the most deprived areas in the UK. Plans to build an Athletes' Village in the vicinity for the 2022 Commonwealth Games were scrapped after a review found that pandemic-related delays meant it wouldn't be finished in time. The newly named roads may be more symbolic than transformative but Councillor Zaffar said they had "struck a chord" with the judges and "captured the essence" of the Britain's second-largest city. Ms Kilbride's choices haven't been uniformly well received, however. A local Conservative councillor has branded them "cringe road names" while some residents have said they are "patronising." The winning names in full are: Diversity Grove, Equality Road, Destiny Road, Inspire Avenue, Respect Way and Humanity Close.
