"Edinburgh is a city of contrasts"
After spending four days in Manchester, we took a bus across the English and Scottish countryside and arrived in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. Edinburgh has been Scotland's capital city since the 15th century and is now the country's second largest city. When we first arrived in Edinburgh, we immediately recognized that in contrast to Manchester, the air seemed fresher and the landscape was greener. We also noticed that the culture of the city felt very different than the culture we experienced in England. The second we stepped off the bus we noticed a more lively, inviting scene and saw people walking by in kilts and serenading us with bagpipes. A central theme of Edinburgh is contrast and our group saw this contrast in the comparison between Old Town and New Town, urban centres and outdoor landscapes, and planned utopias and haunted slums.
The city has a strong history of intellectual and scientific accomplishment. This is evident in Edinburgh's identity since there are 6 universities in the area and the city feels very much like a student town. Seventeenth century Edinburgh was known for being a main commercial and financial centre but when many of the governing classes moved to London in the 18th century, Edinburgh experienced overcrowding, disease, political upheavals, riots, and much of the Old Town was dominated by slums. A main theme of our days in and around Edinburgh was how people in the 18th and 19th centuries worked to combat these conditions and create a more socially just and livable Edinburgh.
As our bus arrived in the city of Edinburgh our group was restless and excited to stretch their legs and explore our new and awaited destination. Walking through Edinburgh's landscape was completely different to that of our previous locations in both Manchester, or Victoria -- cities with familiarly distinctive Victorian architecture and street plans. Trekking Edinburgh's old town was somewhat of a challenge, with a seemingly outdated medieval street plan on a hilly topography -- meaning the simple task of taking our bags to the hostel led us through a web of historical pathways and steep cobblestone walkways flanked by breathtaking medieval Gothic architecture. As the city was explored further, specifically beyond the Edinburgh castle into New Town, where the architecture and road network shift from medieval, to a Georgian urban plan, introducing the theme of contrast in Edinburgh's urban landscape.
Day Trip to New Lanark
On our first full day in Edinburgh we hopped on a coach bus out to the New Lanark UNESCO World Heritage Site, an old 18th century cotton mill town located roughly one hour out of Edinburgh. Although there are still people who live and work in the town, it is known as a popular tourist destination for school groups and visitors to Scotland. The video below highlights the tour we took around the old cotton mill and shows Robert Owen's influence on the town. Our tour guide Janet showed us around and painted a picture of what living in New Lanark would have been like in the time of Robert Owen.
Arthur's Seat
On our second day in Edinburgh our group took a foggy, windy hike up to the top of Arthur’s seat. Arthur’s seat is an extinct volcano and is one of the main landmarks of Edinburgh, sitting above the city and offering spectacular views. The positioning of Arthur's Seat is notable because it sits at the end of one of the busiest streets in Edinburgh, the royal mile. The stark contrast between bustling, tourist centric streets and the open, wild hills was breathtaking. Unfortunately, the weather when we went was not ideal for seeing the city but it was nice to stretch our legs, get into nature and appreciate the stunning comparison between the grey rocky outcrops, green grass, and yellow flowering Scotch broom.
Patrick Geddes Tour with Russell Clegg
"Vivendo Discimus" - "By Living We Learn"
After our walk up Arthur's seat and a quick lunch we met up at the Patrick Geddes Center for a tour around Edinburgh's old town where our guide Russell Clegg pointed out Geddes' influence on the town. We discussed Geddes' pattern of pairing different groups of people together, constructive surgery and his goal of creating a "livable city." Geddes is known as a father of sustainability and was widely known for his work on Old Town, which at the time was a place of over-crowdedness and disease.
Geddes and Owen
Our group noticed similarities between Geddes and Owen, they both had holistic views of their respective cities. Both believed in making their cities more socially just, livable, and enjoyable for the citizens. They both encouraged their citizens to be active in their communities by gardening and taking responsibility for their homes by cleaning up and sweeping. It's important to note that all the positive changes and initiatives put in place by both Geddes and Owen directly benefited them as well. Robert Owen benefitted by this because when his workers were happy and satisfied they worked harder in order to make the mills more profitable. Geddes on the other hand, gained academic respect when his projects proved successful for the city. Both of Owen's and Geddes' stories and successes live on today which is a testament to their accomplishments.
Social Bite
Keep your coins, I want change.
On our way to the train station in Edinburgh we stopped in at Social Bite, a Scottish social enterprise who have made it their mission to help end homelessness in Scotland through collaboration. They do this by running cafés that serve soup, sandwiches and an assortment of drinks. The company gives out roughly 100,000 items of food and beverage to those who are home less or unable to afford food each year. The café also has a pay it forward system where customers are able to purchase a meal for someone in need. This is significant because Project Social Bite is making moves towards creating a more socially just Edinburgh by shortening the gap between classes and bringing people together.
Cycling in Edinburgh
Our group was very interesting in cycling infrastructure, since we were so excited about the promise of cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen. What we noticed in Edinburgh was, although they had some cycling infrastructure, it was lacking in a some ways and the infrastructure already in place was not being utilized properly. Cars were parked all throughout the cycling lanes which would make cycling in Edinburgh unsafe and unappealing to cyclists. We created a video of a critical analysis of Edinburgh's cycling infrastructure to speak more on these points.
Free time activities
While in Edinburgh our group had lots of free time to explore and was given a photo challenge to complete in smaller groups. Many students got to sample haggis and whisky, both tradition Scottish dishes. Some students went on free tours of the city, including a ghost walk around the old town to learn some local myths and legends. Many of the stops during the ghost tour were along the Royal Mile, a stretch of street popular with tourists that links two iconic Edinburgh landmarks: Holyrood Palace and Edinburgh Castle.
The weather we had in Edinburgh was for the most part foggy and cold but the sun eventually came out and allowed students to explore the local parks and gardens, which were bustling with tourists and locals alike.
Other stops in Edinburgh popular with both tourists and locals include the Greyfriars Kirkyard, and various free museums and galleries. The Greyfriars Kirkyard is a graveyard dating back to the 16th century and is famous for housing many of Edinburgh's former residents, including Greyfriars Bobby, an adorable loyal dog who spent 14 years standing watch over his owner's grave after his passing. A notable museum was the National Museum of Scotland, which houses exhibits covering everything from international cultures to natural history to fashion.
Overall, our time spent in Edinburgh taught us the importance of leadership in order to influence cities to be more socially just. Both Robert Owen and Patrick Geddes were forward thinking social pioneers striving to make their towns more vibrant and livable. Edinburgh is a city of contrasts, both physical and cultural which made our visit unforgettable.