The changing Edinburgh

BY ALMOST any measure, Edinburgh is experiencing one of the biggest boom periods in its history. It is being transformed, not only by impressive growth in its financial sector, but also by the continuing expansion of the universities and the process of devolution which has brought to the city a new vibrancy and focus.

The journey on which Edinburgh has embarked is not just towards an enlarged and modernised political and administrative centre. It is on a journey to becoming one of the greatest cities of Europe: a capital of business, political administration, academia, education, consumer service, culture, leisure and tourism.

This growth is not without pain. But growth it certainly is, after many decades when the city seemed content to mark time and even take pride in its disdain for the modern world. But that aversion to change has been broken, and however much its citizens might prefer to play down any notion of radical, still less beneficial, change, a new Edinburgh is emerging.

With a booming economy and near zero unemployment, it is the only city in Scotland with a rising population, a trend that looks set to continue for the foreseeable future. House prices have been rocketing and the city’s office and retail sector profile is undergoing a transformation.

This expansion is bringing unprecedented wealth and business opportunity to the capital. But it is bringing its problems, too. Today, The Scotsman focuses on Edinburgh in its latest Big City Survey. Packed with facts and figures, it examines many of the key issues posed by this expansion. It looks at latest developments in the financial sector, the effects of growth on the capital’s property market and on transport. How well is the city coping with this expansion, and what needs to change if its road system is not to find itself in gridlock?

These issues will also be explored in The Scotsman Big City Survey Debate with a panel of experts, being held at The Scotsman offices in Edinburgh this morning. Tomorrow’s paper will carry a full report.