ABSTRACT
Since the 1970s Edinburgh has sought to transform itself into a “cultural capital.” Nowhere is this more evident than inside the city’s world heritage site. In neighborhoods like Fountainbridge, local authorities are considerably less interested in historical preservation. In recent years the City Council has approved plans to level working-class tenements and industrial structures, replacing them with office buildings, high-end apartments, and student rentals. Concerned about gentrification, and social and environmental justice, the Fountainbridge Canalside Initiative (a local non-profit) has been working with developers, to honor the area’s industrial past, and build a more just, livable, and sustainable community.
