New campaign to find residents' 2050 vision for city

Edinburgh residents have been invited to have their say on what they want their city to be like in 2050

The latest stage of the City Vision project, first launched two years ago, will see advertising in key locations around the city centre and a social media campaign, urging residents to go online and give their thoughts on Edinburgh 32 years from now.

During the autumn and the run-up to Christmas, there are plans for free taxi rides offering glimpses how the city could look in 2050, trips to other European cities to see how they are planning for the future and videoed chats in coffee shops on visions for Edinburgh.

The ideas gathered will be fed into a blueprint for the future to be announced next year.Organisers say 2050 Edinburgh City Vision will combine the views of the Capital’s residents and offer inspiration to individuals, businesses and organisations in planning the next three decades.

Lord Provost Frank Ross said: “This is a unique opportunity to get people thinking and invigorated by our collective future. I call upon each and every Edinburgh citizen to share their views and make their voice heard.

He added: “The foundations that we lay today through this 2050 vision process will define our capital city for generations to come.”

After the launch of City Vision in September 2016, conversations took place with the public and private sectors, as well as the festivals, universities and schools on their aspirations, hopes and plans.

Some initial research was also undertaken with residents about what mattered to them and what they wanted for the future of the Capital.

Key themes which emerged were a desire for the city to be greener and more inclusive in the future, with higher levels of affordable housing and quality jobs.

People also wanted to see a wider network of connections to the rest of the world in terms of travel, export and technology.

These themes have helped form the latest campaign, which offers everyone in the Capital a chance to get their own voice and vision heard.

The adverts now on display in the city centre feature a series of striking photographs, overlaid with illustrations which hint at possibilities for Edinburgh’s future and invites people to complete the sentence: “My Edinburgh will ...”.

John Donnelly, chief executive of Marketing Edinburgh, which is in charge of the advertising, said: “This is an opportunity for the people of Edinburgh to voice their opinions, knowing they will be considered to collectively decide what happens next in their city.

“Our Capital is already an outstanding city to live in, but we don’t want to stand still.

“We have long been at the forefront of creativity and innovation, so it’s exciting to consider the possibilities the next 32 years hold, and think about where we can go next. The Edinburgh of the future will be even better than it is today.”

A large-scale interactive word cloud, powered by the 2050 Edinburgh website, will go live next week at high-profile locations, including Waverley station, reflecting the themes of the contributions to the 2050 City Vision website.

From next week, people will also be able to book a free “taxi to the future” which will take passengers to their desired location via a bespoke route. On the way they will be able to use an iPad to see what selected sites might look like in 2050 and chat to the driver about their own ideas.

In October, the campaign will invite job applications for the next generation of “futurists” and three lucky applicants will be chosen for a trip to understand what Edinburgh can learn from other European cities which are also pioneering progress.

On their return they will share what they have learned by way of an essay and a vlog posted on the This is Edinburgh social media channels.

As Christmas approaches, a series of coffee shop partnerships will be announced, offering “a coffee for your  thoughts”.

EVERYONE in Edinburgh is being urged to join the discussion and say what they would like the Capital to be like in 2050.

Edinburgh locals will be invited to get together at one of five locations across the city to share their views on what they want Edinburgh to be like in 2050 – in exchange for a free morning coffee. Here’s how to take part...

Members of the public can spell out their hopes, ideas and priorities on the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision website – www.edinburgh2050.com.

They can also keep up to date with the campaign and take part in the wider conversation via the This Is Edinburgh Facebook page – www.facebook.com/Edinburgh or on Twitter: @edinburgh

And images linked to the campaign are available on Instagram: @thisisedinburgh.