'Let's ensure that the picture we paint is a forward looking one'

Lord Provost, Frank Ross shares his views on the impact of Coronavirus in the Capital and how we can move forward.

Edinburgh - our Capital City, a bustling metropolis, a world heritage city and the world’s festival city. A city that attracts millions of visitors from around the world and where on any given day you will hear dozens of different languages in our cafes, bars, restaurants and shops.

Four weeks ago this would have been a description of our city which most people would have recognized. That was before Covid-19.

Today it is a city in lockdown - deserted streets, businesses closed, schools closed and the majority of citizens following the best medical advice and staying at home in order to protect the NHS and themselves.

These are not normal times and while we face an uncertain few weeks there is also an opportunity to consider what kind of city and society we want when we come out of the current crisis as we surely will.

One immediate change will be how we value specific jobs and careers. Examples being that doctors, nurses and other health workers will be at the pinnacle for societal appreciation. Shop workers and shelf stackers will be seen in a new and hopefully more appreciative light. Public sector staff who will ensure that our city continues to operate during this crisis recognized for the jobs they do.

Normally as we look to improve our city we have to fight against the “dead weight” of the status quo. This is true of all our major strategic initiatives from Low Emission Zones, City Centre Transformation, short term lets, tourism management and the pressures from ever increasing commuting.

Usually in an attempt to overcome this status quo, we focus on mid to long term planning to implement incremental change, the most recent of these initiatives being the 2050 Vision project which engaged with 50,000 citizens and identified the guiding principles of sustainability - thriving, connected and fair.

However difficult the current Covid-19 crisis is it may have a silver lining in that the status quo has been blown apart. We have a unique opportunity to implement some of our mid to long term goals today. 

There is no need to automatically revert to how things were immediately before the current crisis, indeed there is a need not to do so. People’s lives and their routines have been turned on their heads.

Businesses will be considering if working from home is the new normal with the potential to dramatically reduce commuting, tourism will not automatically rebound with the resulting reduced demand for short term lets, retail will need to reinvent itself and our Festivals may need to reshape how they deliver their programmes.

Obviously, our immediate priority has to be the safety of our citizens and we must follow the best medical advice if we are to minimize the impact on them, the NHS and our city.

However, we should use this time to be bold and make the changes we know will improve the quality of life for all citizens for generations going forward. In many instances we will be starting with a blank canvas. Let's ensure that the picture we paint is a forward looking one.