Frequently Asked Questions
- What do Glasgow and Edinburgh want to achieve through collaboration
- Does collaboration mean development of “Glasburgh” or “Edingow”?
- Are Glasgow and Edinburgh really so different from the rest of Scotland, or even from the other cities?
- Aren’t Glasgow and Edinburgh too different from each other?
- How does this initiative fit with the recent emphasis on city-regions?
- What about rural areas?
- Shouldn’t Glasgow and Edinburgh be competing?
- Are the various agencies in this for the long-haul? Is this just a public sector initiative?
- Who else is collaborating? Does it work for them?
- When will I see changes “on the ground”?
- There’s a Prospectus for Action: what else is collaboration about? What happens next?
- I’ve got a collaboration idea that might be a winner – but others might think it’s daft… how can I test this?
What do Glasgow and Edinburgh want to achieve through collaboration?
There is a three-fold purpose for Glasgow and Edinburgh collaboration:
- to close the gap with cities that currently boast superior economic performance
- to make a disproportionate contribution to improving Scotland’s economic performance
- to keep pace with other cities already collaborating to compete.
Does collaboration mean development of “Glasburgh” or “Edingow”?
No! There is no desire for a single “super-city” sprawling across central Scotland, swallowing up existing towns and countryside. Collaboration is about two different places working together at appropriate times whilst retaining their distinctive identities.
Are Glasgow and Edinburgh really so different from the rest of Scotland, or even from the other cities?
The key words here are scale, density and diversity. Glasgow and Edinburgh have a concentration of and type of population, businesses and institutions than differs from other parts of Scotland. Whilst we have much in common, we also have significantly different strengths and challenges, even from the likes of Dundee and Aberdeen.
Aren’t Glasgow and Edinburgh too different from each other?
Anyone who knows the two cities will be aware that they have different histories, and look and feel quite distinct. However, recent economic performance in both cities has emphasised similarities in their economic trajectories and there are areas where common interests are aligned. In certain cases, these can be better served by working together.
How does this initiative fit with the recent emphasis on city-regions?
Both Glasgow and Edinburgh are at the economic heart of wider and varied regions. The recent emphasis on developing policy and initiatives at the city region level recognises these as sensible economic and labour market units. City collaboration complements these initiatives, recognising also that the cities have a strong relationship that overcomes the fact that they are not immediately adjacent.
In future, there may be scope for closer city-region collaboration: in the shorter-term, there are practical issues about administrative complexity. Those who doubt that Glasgow and Edinburgh can work together might note that their city regions comprise 16 local authority and 8 Local Enterprise Companies (LEC) areas!
What about rural areas?
Glasgow and Edinburgh’s success should not be at the expense of other areas. Because of their unique assets and importance across a wider area, success in Glasgow and Edinburgh benefits a much wider area of Scotland, including rural areas. Indeed, it has been said that, “it is reasonable to assume that Scotland’s future success depends on the success of its urban core” (1).
Shouldn’t Glasgow and Edinburgh be competing?
Yes. They do, and will continue to do so. Like any tool, collaboration is only to be used in the appropriate circumstances. Glasgow and Edinburgh will continue to compete in many spheres. Where there are bigger economic prizes - that neither city can win alone - collaboration may offer the opportunity to compete effectively for these.
Are the various agencies in this for the long-haul? Is this just a public sector initiative?
The current collaboration venture is a partnership among the City of Edinburgh Council, Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, and Scottish Enterprise Glasgow. Collaboration has the explicit blessing of the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise National; while a range of other national and local organisations have been involved in development of the process.
Like any initiative, Glasgow-Edinburgh collaboration has to prove its worth by delivering tangible results. There are many challenges to be surmounted in the coming months and years - the Prospectus helps keep us focused on our (initial) goals.
The partners have consulted private sector interests in the development of the collaborative initiative, notably the financial services and tourism-related sectors. Once the initiative is established, we intend to engage more fully with the cities’ business communities.
Who else is collaborating? Does it work for them?
Around Europe, a number of examples of city collaboration are apparent. Some of these – like the Netherlands’ Randstadt - are longstanding arrangements; more recent examples seek to accelerate economic convergence (e.g. Vilnius and Kaunas, capital and second city of Lithuania); and some seek to link two already-prosperous cities and propel them into the economic super-league.
One of the best-known recent examples is the collaboration between Copenhagen (Denmark) and Malmo (Sweden). These cities were linked across the Denmark Straits in 2000 by the new Oresund bridge and tunnel. From being small cities in different countries, the new link instantly created Scandinavia’s largest urban area with 2.3 million inhabitants. That’s a scale equivalent to the third biggest urban areas in the UK or Germany - and the Oresund region is well capable of competing with them:
- in 2003, it attracted more international investment projects than any other Scandinavian urban area
- in 2004, only London and Paris attracted more of Europe’s inward investment projects
- economic performance in the Oresund region shows signs of pulling ahead of the economic performance in either of the host nations.
Collaboration is also gaining ground in business too. As competition becomes fiercer, more globalised, and more technologically advanced, even major corporations like Microsoft, Siemens and Nissan are engaging with others to help reduce risk, facilitate technology convergence, and pool intellectual assets.
When will I see changes “on the ground”?
The Prospectus contains actions across a range of time points. It isn’t about a single “big bang” but about a range of projects and processes that will refocus the way we work.
Some of the earlier actions involve modest amounts of research and investigation but may lead to more concrete plans. Other actions will involve refocusing of existing initiatives but large physical projects may take years.
These pages will regularly be updated to report on collaborative activity and projects over coming months and years. These achievements will be real – but ultimate success will be achieved when Glasgow and Edinburgh can collaborate at appropriate times without the need for a specific initiative, action plan or dedicated webpages to cajole them into doing so.
There’s a Prospectus for Action: what else is collaboration about? What happens next?
The Prospectus is envisaged as a first phase of actions and a statement of commitment by the partners. A dedicated post of Collaboration Director has been created and it is the postholder’s responsibility to oversee the delivery of the Prospectus. However, their role is also about promoting the concept and value of collaboration more widely, and challenging the partner organisations to embed collaboration into their processes and culture.
The Director’s post and the actions in the Prospectus are funded for an initial period through the Scottish Executive’s City Growth Fund. Progress will be reviewed and a future programme mapped out after year 2.
I’ve got a collaboration idea that might be a winner – but others might think it’s daft… how can I test this?
Successful collaboration ultimately requires that the option of working together becomes embedded across the full range of our processes – without the need for a specific initiative, webpages, action plan, or staff member.
If you have an idea for something that the cities could usefully work together on, please contact us. You aren’t committing to anything – but you may be onto a winner!
We have identified 4 criteria for collaborative actions. Even if modest in scale, proposals should demonstrate:
- additionality (where collaboration helps achieve objectives that either city alone could not achieve alone)
- appropriateness (where actions are most appropriate to a city/large urban focus)
- importance (capable of making a real difference to the competitiveness of the cities as a whole)
- balance (between short-term deliverables as well as long term propositions).
If your idea meets these criteria, then we’d like to hear from you.
1Glaeser, E.L. (2005) Four Challenges for Scotland’s Cities IN Coyle, Alexander, Ashcroft (2005) New Wealth for Old Nations: Scotland’s Economic Prospects Princetown University Press
