Whatever happened to Edinburgh?

The Grassmarket 2015. As part of its efforts to transition the Grassmarket as an events venue and so attract more visitors, the Grassmarket Business Improvement District (BID) installed this purple enhancement to the townscape (Photo: Sean Bradley)

Well, the latest publication from Thirsty Books provides the answer. And - particularly for those of us who were resident activists in Edinburgh’s Old Town in recent years - it’s not a pleasing one.

The book in question is a new edition of Renewing Old Edinburgh: the enduring legacy of Patrick Geddes by Jim Johnson and Lou Rosenburg. Sadly Jim Johnson did not live to see the book in print but in its pages, Lou has revisited the project to outline the research that led to the original edition (Argyll Publishing, 2010). Jim and Lou managed to unearth the influence that Patrick Geddes had on city planning long after his departure from Edinburgh.

The influence of Geddes’s work on municipal approaches to urban planning continued into the 21st century resulting in small scale developments sensitive to the existing street pattern and local community life. Things changed dramatically following the global financial crisis of 2008 and the ensuing period of austerity.

Who’s City? Turning parts of the Old Town into a pay-to-enter area for Edinburgh Hogmanay events meant that residents and local business needed passes from event organisers - December 2015 (Photo: Cliff Hague)

In an Afterword to the original text Cliff Hague describes the growing power of investors in relation to local government and residents of the city, in mass tourism, events and purpose built student housing.

Join us at the launch of Renewing Old Edinburgh 2nd Edition on Monday 16th November at 7pm in Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh: Lou Rosenburg and Cliff Hague in conversation with Dr Lesley Martin, Chair of the Cockburn Association