MORE than 200 people took part in a series of events created to inspire more people to live in Scottish town and city centres.
The Town Centre Living and Investment Roadshow visited Perth, Paisley, Falkirk and Inverness, with representatives of councils, improvement districts, architects, community organisations, town planners and housing associations taking part in the events.
The idea is that having more people move to town and city centres will add more footfall and “vibrancy” to the areas.
This could be done through bringing unused sites back to life and creating sustainable homes above shops and other buildings.
The roadshow collectively showcased over 25 town centre living projects and case studies from across Scotland.
This project was delivered by Scotland’s Towns Partnership, Scottish Futures Trust, Architecture and Design Scotland and the Scottish Land Commisson.
Kimberley Guthrie, chief officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, commented: “Getting out and about has been an important reminder as to how town centre living can be a major catalyst for positive change.
“As we develop work to help encourage more people to live in our town and city centres, this series has given us the chance to explore both opportunities and complexities surrounding projects.
“Bringing together colleagues from across the public, private and third sectors has been invigorating. We have learned so much to help inform our next steps.”
Overall, 220 people took part in the events, including the Scottish Government, representatives from 26 local authorities and nine enterprise agencies.
Delegates in each area participated in walking tours to see how town centre living will aid regeneration work.
Topics such as private sector investment, opportunities for rural and island communities and repurposing empty assests were covered.
Mhairi Donaghy, associate director at Scottish Futures Trust, added: “Town centre living is a huge part of the future for our town and city centres, creating the power to catalyse other developments in communities.
“Housing brings people and people bring spend, activity and resilience, animation, safety and security for places. The impact that delivers is incredibly positive.”
The key themes and best practices shared through these events will be shared with the joint CoSLA and Ministerial National Towns Forum in April.
