International academics to witness Dundee’s cultural regeneration

Published On Tue 1 Jul 2014 by Grant Hill

Dozens of experts in housing and urban development from around the world will today visit Dundee to witness the city’s cultural regeneration for themselves.

The fieldtrip will be led by academics at the Universities of Dundee and St Andrews as part of the European Network for Housing Research (ENHR) Conference 2014 taking place in Edinburgh. Fifty of the 500 conference delegates will visit Dundee on Tuesday, 1st July as part of one of a number of fieldtrips organised to showcase different aspects of regeneration across Scotland.

The trip will be led by Dr Beverley Searle, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Dundee, and Ciaran McDonald and Lorenzo Pergola, PhD students from the Centre for Housing Research at St Andrews.

The day will focus on culture-led regeneration in Dundee, beginning with a visit to the headquarters of the £1 billion Waterfront regeneration project. Project Manager Peter Noad will deliver a presentation on project’s vision, progress and future plans, including the forthcoming V&A Dundee development. The group will then visit Generator Projects in Mid Wynd to see how a former industrial building has been transformed into a multi-functional arts space for small start-up creative businesses.

Dr Searle said, “We are absolutely delighted to welcome academics from Europe, Australia and Asia to Scotland and to have the opportunity to show the exceptional regeneration work taking place in Dundee

“The Waterfront master plan, including the V&A at Dundee, is one of the most exciting and ambitious regeneration projects anywhere in Europe, while Generator is a fine example of Dundee utilising a former economic and industrial asset in order to foster a re-flourishing of the new cultural sector.”

The ENHR Conference for 2014 will be held at the University of Edinburgh from 1st – 4th July. The theme of the conference is ‘Beyond Globalisation:  Remaking Housing Policy in a Complex World’, and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will make the opening address. 

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Grant Hill
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