A city in the Highlands?

A significant proportion of the world’s population now live in cities; cities are 'long term' places, they are centres for economic activity and they compete with each other, both nationally and internationally.

One of the main elements in the long term plans (up to 2030) in the recently published National Planning Framework (NPF) for Scotland is to support the development of Scotland’s cities as key drivers of the economy. But the success of Scotland's cities will depend on many factors and many of these are recognised in the text of the NPF itself. Factors such as:

• Good air links, the presence of centres of academic excellence, well-developed social and cultural facilities and efficient public transport systems.

• Strong regions well connected to urban facilities, with cities being the hub of wider regional economies and,

• Development patterns which must be robust in relation to long-term climate change, taking account, for example, of changing levels of flood risk and vulnerability to the predicted increase in the frequency of extreme weather, with the promotion of high density, compact cities being one important response to the challenge of climate change.

The city region approach recognises that our cities are the hubs of wider regional economies and that the complementary assets of their surrounding towns and rural areas offer opportunities for a wide range of economic, cultural and recreational activities.

The NPF also recognises that Edinburgh and Glasgow are vital to Scotland's economic wellbeing and that there is increasing collaboration between these cities. The combined award of some £64 million pounds to these two cities from the cities growth fund (over two thirds of the total allocation) signifies the government’s financial commitment to this statement. Inverness received an award of £3.1 million pounds (in proportion to its population).

In the book City of Quarters: Urban Villages in the Contemporary City by D Bell and M Jayne, the authors talk of an era of intensified competition between cities in the US. Reasons for this heightened competition are stated as being: decline in transfer of money from federal to municipal governments - hence necessitating more self generated revenue; a shift in local government towards being more actively entrepreneurial in its action; a move from local government to local governance – a shift to quasi public, private or not-for-profit sectors, with BIDS and quasi-public local development corporations emerging. Some may see resonances between the statements made in Bell and Jayne’s book and the situation here in Highland.

If we are not careful the aspiration for a successful Highlands and Islands will not be fulfilled; we should ask ourselves:

Will Inverness be able to compete with the other major British Cities, let alone International cities?

Is competition between cities and regions for valuable transport investment is intensifying?

Will the Highlands and Islands have enough funds to improve internal connectivity let alone to build the vital national and international links?

Apart from Inverness, how will all the other places in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise area (Argyll and the Islands, Orkney, Shetland, Eilean Siar, the Highlands itself and Moray) fair? In terms of competive advantage and EU Regional policy; will there be a shift in thinking away from a general focus on poorly performing peripheries to one where investments are focused in cities themselves?

How do you resolve the tensions between where urbanization enhances productivity, (those countries with a higher proportion of their population in urban areas generally have a higher GDP per capita) and the need to maintain the prosperity and unique identity in the other smaller towns and rural areas across the whole region? (Where as stated above, the success of the city is dependent upon the success of the other areas.)

Is enough being done to promote the city of Inverness as it is currently comprised as a vibrant place to live and work?

Is the city itself strong enough economically to sustain and withstand the construction of other new settlements in such close proximity to it?

Are there too many factors on which success depends which have as yet to achieve a definite committment to funding?

Surely all these things, and more, will need to be considered as part of the Higland wide plan process!