Global gossip

This part of the website sets out to explore what makes great cities tick with the help of contributions from my talented family and friends. It’s happening (slowly but surely) with tantalising glimpses of places like  Beijing, Bilbao and Dundee.  Yes, Dundee – scroll down to find out more.

The idea came to me on a tram in the centre of Prague. Why not use my website to record a snapshot of the cities I visit?

When I edited The City Talks, a series of newsletters for the former Edinburgh City Centre Management Company, I enjoyed pulling together ‘global gossip’ about what was happening in city centres around the world. Now I cannot ride a tram, sit in a street cafe or wander through a city square without making comparisons with what happens in Edinburgh. More often than not, Scotland’s capital has a lot to learn from the rest of the world. But sometimes (like the no smoking ban) we are well ahead of almost everyone else.

By the time I got off the tram I had a better idea. There is no point trying to do this on my own. It would take a long time (and far too many air miles) to put together a decent sample of postcard case studies. Why not invite my family and friends to send me their pictures and perceptions of cities round the world?

So welcome to global gossip – with thanks for some great gossip so far: Ray’s praise for Dundee (Time to get our skates on), Kate (Lisbon elevated), Carrie (Beijing’s Early Birds),  John (Bilbao – icon for dynamism) Tommy in Bangalore (Found in India) and Dougal (Indonesia: waiting for tourists to come).

Now for yours…