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NEWS GOSSIP OPINION
Who’s going to plan the future of the Clyde? You are.
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Glasgow 2020 needs you
Contributors sought to create a new vision of city’s future Words: Allan Radcliffe
ver wondered what Glasgow‘s going to be like in
15 years‘ time‘.’ The (ilasgow 2020 project is
calling on all interested parties to speculate as to
what significant changes are likely to befall Scotland‘s
largest city. While some might consider this too trifling a
period for major developments to take place. it should be
remembered that just IS years ago. (ilasgow was declared (‘ity of Culture. heralding an era of regeneration.
(ilasgow 2020‘s main objective is to create a book
collecting all the imaginative contributions made over
the coming months. which will be launched with an accompanying exhibition. Budding writers can get
involved by writing short stories or creating wishes for
the city's future and attaching them to the project’s website at www.glasgow2()2().co.uk. Professional writers such as Ruaridh Nicol] and Julie Bertagna have already
submitted compelling visions. There is also a number of
events stretching until the end of summer 2006. These include a workshop run by Glasgow (‘ouncil for the
Voluntary Sector at its ;\(iM on IS December. with around 100 participants. eliciting visions of the future from the perspective of the voluntary sector through discussions and vox pop video sessions. Meanwhile. thought—collectors are being intermittently unleashed on commuters on the (ilasgow-lidinburgh shuttle. canvassing views.
The project. run jointly by think-tank Demos. Infinite liye and NH Dimensions as well as ()yster Arts Management. is being billed as a ‘consultation in reverse‘. ()rdinary people get the chance to contribute to a vision of their city’s future. rather than being asked their opinion on matters that have already been planned. (ierry llassan. director of Demos. says: ‘(ilasgow 2020 is very much an ongoing. continuously evolving and developing project. Many of the forthcoming events have arisen from suggestions made to us by people taking part in the project. There will be opportunities for artistic and creative (ilaswegians of all backgrounds to participate.’
BRIGHT FUTURE FOR EDINBURGH'S WEST END
I The streets of Edinburgh's West End will be buzzing this winter thanks to relaxed parking restrictions as well as new festive lights. While the area behind Shandwick Place is being transformed by the Christmas lights, shops and restaurants in Stafford Street and William Street are benefiting from measures aimed at improving city parking. Michael Apter, chairman of the West End Traders' Association and owner of upmarket stationery and card shop Paper Tiger, believes shoppers are already taking advantage. ‘The longer parking hours mean shoppers can stay longer in the area, go for a coffee or lunch without having to rush away,’ he says. These improvements follow proposals aimed at attracting visitors to the West End. Scottish Enterprise recently awarded £1.85 million to the Usher Hall to help fund the creation of an external street theatre space that will enhance the Royal Lyceum and Traverse theatres. (AR)
I The List is delighted to support the Bethany Trust’s Caring Christmas Tree Appeal, which is running at Edinburgh’s Gyle Shopping Centre. All proceeds go to the trust’s Edinburgh-based homeless shelter, which is open from November to March and provides for more than 600 men and women. For every tree bought, a person sleeping rough receives a hot meal, a bed for the night, breakfast and advice. There’s no time for delay, however, as orders have to be placed by 4 December for pick-up on 9 and 10 December. For pick-up on 16 and 17 December, orders have to be placed by 11 December. Go to www.caringchristmas trees.com
I Scotland's National Street Arts Festival. Big in Falkirk. has been garlanded with the 2005 Scottish Thistle Award for Best Event or Festival. Now in its seventh year. the annual two-day festival of international outdoor theatre is Scotland's biggest multi- arts event. attracting more than 100.000 people to Callendar Park and the surrounding Falkirk area.
I OneCity, the eagerly anticipated literary collaboration between Alexander McCall Smith, Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh with an introduction by JK Rowling, is to be launched at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre on Friday 9 December. The event, hosted by Kirsty Wark, aims to raise awareness of issues of social inclusion, all proceeds from the book going to the OneCity Trust.
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