Glasgow 2014

I heard a Scottish comedian talk about London's 2012 Olympics as a "warm-up" for the games we all know is important - the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. After 18 months immersed in London and the Olympics, I was reminded of this visiting architect friends in Edinburgh, and opening a drawer full of souvenirs from 2010, when I spent some time with Glasgow City Council's Planning Department. London has to a large extent turned its back on the rest of the UK, and its easy to forget there are exciting things happening elsewhere, even if the economic slowdown is biting harder. Among my Glasgow souvenirs, I've a series of beautiful postcards depicting Glasgow's Lighting Strategy, lending an elegance to the old industrial city (that I hope is being continued, even if there is no more funding for postcards), and a plethora of brochures on the Financial Services district (although key tenants include Direct Line and ACE Insurance - not exactly cutting edge multinational institutions.) I also remember attending meetings on the Commonwealth Games, which will bring investment and opportunities to Glasgow's East End, just as the Olympics is doing for the East End of London. For the gloomy regeneration practitioners out there, London 2012 is not the only show in town......