A Tale of Two Cities

Published On Thu 13 Mar 2014 by Grant Hill

‘A tale of two cities’ will be told at the University of Dundee next week when the past, present and future of Perth and Dundee is discussed in terms of planning and development.

The event, taking place at the Dalhousie Building at 5.30pm on Thursday, 20th March, is part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of planning education at the University and is being held in conjunction with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), which marks its centenary in 2014.

Perth and Dundee are the only two cities in the area covered by the RTPI’s East of Scotland Chapter, and the University has helped to shape both over the past half-century as many planning graduates have gone on to work in local authorities in Tayside. The successes and otherwise of planning in that time will be among the topics covered by the talks.

Barbara Illsley, Senior lecturer in Planning at the University, will introduce the event by discussing the legacy of Patrick Geddes, the former professor at University College Dundee who is regarded as the father of town planning.

“Town and Regional Planning provides an increasing range of environmentally-related programmes and builds on the philosophy of Patrick Geddes that ‘by creating we think, by living we learn’,” said Barbara Illsley.

“Dundee’s goal has been to inspire learners and researchers to innovate in the construction and application of knowledge relevant to building future environments. The ongoing success of our graduates, both internationally and here at home, is the main legacy of the past fifty years of planning education.”

The past, present and future of the two cities will then be explored by David Littlejohn, Head of Planning and Regeneration at Perth and Kinross Council, and David MacDougall, former Senior Planning Officer at Dundee City Council.  

The Perth that Patrick Geddes would have viewed from his boyhood home - with its bustling harbour and smoking mill chimneys - differed to the Perth we see today. The extensive parkland Inches, medieval streets, sweeping Georgian terraces and Victorian gridiron are all products of urban planning.

Planning continues to be central to Perth’s development as the city embarks upon its greatest physical expansion since the 1950s to provide homes, schools and workplaces for an expected 20 per cent population increase over the next 15 years. TAYplan and the forthcoming Perth & Kinross Local Development Plan provide a robust spatial framework for this expansion. 

From the Tay Valley Plan 1950 that addressed the “city region” and put Dundee in the vanguard of regional planning in Scotland to the present Local Development Plans, the profession has left a lasting legacy on the City. 

From eradicating inner city dereliction to regenerating district shopping centres and revitalising peripheral estates, attention now focusses on responding to the needs of local communities by working closely with them. The City can now boast a vibrant and attractive city centre, pedestrian-friendly streets, luxuriant open spaces and a supply of housing of various styles and tenure all worthy of being the centre of the City Region. The Dundee of the future will have realised employment opportunities associated with the North Sea renewables industry and boast a revitalised waterfront as a desirable location to live work and relax.

‘A tale of two cities’ is just one of several events organised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of planning education at Dundee. 

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
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E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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