City explorers chosen to shapre future of Edinburgh

Three Edinburgh residents have landed plum roles as official explorers who will help shape the future of their city.

Earlier this month, Marketing Edinburgh launched the search for three probing minds who would become the official adventurers with a taste for travel as part of a new research project exploring one of three European cities.

The lucky candidates who bagged the dream jobs were Eilidh Dunnet, 33, Carole Bold, 32, and Karl Saunders, 24.

The trio beat stiff competition for the roles, dubbed “The Futurists”, by producing 60-second video pitches.

The lucky candidates who bagged the dream jobs were Eilidh Dunnett, 33, Carole Bold, 32 and Karl Saunders, 24. Picture: Jon Savage

Perks of the job include all-expenses paid trip to either Helsinki, Copenhagen or Dublin where they are required to vlog about their journey, findings and what Edinburgh can learn from the city they visited.

The idea, launched by Marketing Edinburgh, is on behalf of the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision campaign and was open to any Edinburgh locals aged 18 and over.

John Donnelly, Chief Executive of Marketing Edinburgh, said: “We received some truly thoughtful and imaginative applications for our futurist vacancies, so it was a tough decision.

“We’re thrilled to have Eilidh, Carole and Karl on board, and look forward to hearing their learnings, and understanding how these can apply to Edinburgh.

“They will be visiting some of Europe’s most exciting cities, and we have lined up a host of interesting people to meet and places to see to ensure our futurists are given every opportunity to delve into each city.”

The three futurists will investigate what Edinburgh can learn from each of the cities, meeting with inspiring locals who are affecting change, to discover what each city is doing well and how their plans will impact their hometown.

Karl Saunders was the first of the cohorts to explore new shores by visiting Dublin last weekend.

His itinerary included exploring the Guinness Storehouse and Croke Park in a bid to understand how the city showcases and celebrates its culture, while maintaining a hold on its vital community links.

During his trip Karl visited the old Customs House Quay to better understand the re-purposing of old buildings and breathing new life into areas previously ignored.

Karl took to social media to enthusiastically share his findings throughout his trip.

Eilidh is set to explore Copenhagen to learn about the city’s Smart Grid, an integrated system that is being developed to help the city meet its target of becoming the first carbon neutral capital by 2025.

She will also investigate the bicycle friendly network that traverses Denmark’s capital.

Travel blogger Carole Bold will jet to Helsinki to learn about Finland’s pioneering health and environmental technology and research.

Billed as the nature capital of the world, thanks to its abundance of nature parks, Helsinki has benefitted from millions of euros of investment over recent years.

The City Vision will be revealed in 2019 and aims to use the resident’s views to create a blueprint for the future.