Dundee named one of the world's most 'design-savvy' cities

Dundee has been named of the seven most "design-savvy" cities in the world months ahead of the opening of its long-awaited V&A waterfront museum.

Dundee's 80 million V&A Museum of Design is due to open to the public later this year.

The city was rated alongside Tokyo, Paris and Toronto by American broadcasting giant CNN in an article on its website.

Also cited as one of the leading "metropolises in the up" were Tbilisi, in Georgia, Muscat in Oman, and San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico.

CNN hailed Dundee as "the cultural comeback kid" in the article. It has been published just days after Dundee was named alongside Abu Dhabi, New Orleans, St Kitts, Los Angeles, Fiji and Borneo by Bloomberg as one of the world's "hottest destinations" to visit in 2018.

Dundee's new museum, which has been in the planning stages for more than a decade, is due to open in the "second half of 2018," with work underway to fit out the attraction designed by the leading Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

It will host permanent displays charting Scotland's design heritage, as well as host regular exhibitions drawn largely from the V&A's own collections in London.

CNN's article stated: "It was once the UK capital of cash register production, but the decline of traditional industry and loss of jobs in the 1980s saw Dundee adopt a plan to reinvent itself as a cultural centre.

"A massive £1 billion regeneration masterplan kicked off in 2001 and the resulting transformation of the city has started to take hold, with the Dundee waterfront scheme set to hit crucial landmarks in 2018.

"It may have had its 2023 European Capital of Culture bid scuppered by Brexit but the city's under-construction £80 million V&A Museum of Design will open its doors within the next 12 months, placing it firmly on the international art map."

Gillian Easson, director of the Creative Dundee network, which recently published a five-year strategy to boost the creative industries sector in the city, said: "We're delighted to see Dundee in this list of top global cities for design and culture.

"We hear people talk about what Dundee 'will be' like in the future, so it's great to know the city’s current cultural scene is already on the map alongside many must-visit international destinations.

"As we celebrate 10 years of Creative Dundee this year, there’s an ever-increasing amount happening right across the city, from ambitious urban developments, to incredible community gardens, great events/shows and exhibitions, and brilliant local artists, musicians, designers and creative spaces. We're glad to see the growing recognition of our city and look forward to giving a typically warm Dundee welcome to visitors when they arrive."