Glasgow Strategies

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Concept:

It was taken as a read that the city’s poor image acted as a brake on new investment, city marketing concept was the dominant concept as a way for urban regeneration. It was conceived that Glasgow had dual advantage of this concept a way for employment creation and an antidote to its traditional image.

Initiatives:

This strategy triggered by the Mayer of Glasgow and ad hoc committee was formed bringing together public and private sectors.

Process:

In 1985, it was reported that there is need to diagnose the source of Glasgow’s economic problems and provide ideas for improvement. Its Central conclusion was that Glasgow ought to plan for post-industrial future and use place marketing projects as the central policy tool through which post-industrial investment could be lured.

A new body, which consist of number of prominent figures in the city and led by local business elites was instituted in 1985 and called Glasgow action. It wasn’t existed until 1991.

Scottish enterprise (formerly Scottish Development Agency) took the lead.

Art, culture and image were the central features in the promotion of a post- industrial Glasgow

Annual Art Festival 1982

Burrell Art Collection 1983

Glasgow’s Miles Better 1983

Rehabilitation of Houses in the city centre

New shopping centres

Scottish and Exhibition and Conference Centre 1985

National Garden Festival 1988

Glasgow as European City of Culture 1990

New International Concert Hall

Glasgow’s Miles Better (Second version)

The catalyst for change centred on the image-reconstruction campaign, which was in interpreted as the most feasible point at which to break into the city’s cycle of decline. At this stage the urban-image campaign was to change from one of image-building in the last strategy to one of image-reconstruction in the this strategy i.e. from a campaign which sought increase the external visibility in the city and, in a diffuse manner, to counter the stereotype of it, to a more purposive campaign seeking to reconstruct the image the image of the type of the city that Glasgow represented. These agencies set up under the instruction of central government and not the local authority itself which have decided the economic destiny of Glasgow Local government was never envisaged to be a motor of economic recover; it was the state, which assumed that role.

Outcome:

It was recorded at the end of 1990 that there were substantial increase in those feeling that Glasgow was rapidly changing for the better (40%), However this is not the same for the desirability to relocate in Glasgow to live and work.

The economic role pursued for Glasgow hasn’t had a real impact on its employment structure.

The benefits of events of image re-constructuring had not trickled down to the disadvantaged residents in the deprived estates. While the heart of the city was being physically remade the problems affecting large part of the working-class areas of the city have hadn’t gone away “I’ve always said that ‘Glasgow’s Miles Metter’ only referred to the centre of the city. It was a sick joke for people living in damp houses in Easterhouse” (financial Times, 25 June 1992)

In other wards, Glasgow seems to have solved its image problem, but it has a long way to go before it achieves economic momentum and work for its entire people.

The Third Phase Strategy:

Situation:

- Challenges are still in Glasgow

- Dislocation from the new industries emerging elsewhere in the city

- Spread of dereliction and poor environments

- Transport linkage

- Low and mismatched skills and low levels of educational attainment

- Poor health and high levels of abuse

- Limited choice of housing and social facilities

- Concentrations of poverty, low incomes and unemployment

- People are excluded

- New form of plan: the Community Planning Process (CPP) – focuses on alliances and partnerships for action, area-based strategy

- Guidelines from

- Scottish National Planning Framework (national level)

- European Planning Policy Context (international level)

Although Glasgow is very successful in regenerating city over the last three decades, there still are many challenges in the city. Many areas have suffered adversely which typically have large concentrations of unemployment and other types of socio-economic challenge, for example, poverty, low and mismatched skills, low levels of educational attainment, poor health, crime and discrimination, limited choice of housing and social facilities, slums, and transport linkage. To tackle these challenges and close the gap, a new form of plan has been promoted. For better development, Glasgow is divided into sub-areas like city centre and Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP) areas. Alliances and partnerships are focused as important actors to carry out the Community Planning Process (CPP). People who live, work or visit Glasgow are priority. They will be included and benefited from the city and its planning. They are strongly encouraged to participate in the CPP. What they want or what they need are taking into account and ensuring that public services are delivered in the most effective way. At the same time, Glasgow plan is carried out under the context of national level and international level by following the guidelines of Scottish National Planning Framework and European Planning Policy Context. These two policy frameworks aim to promote the balanced and sustainable development.

Concepts: