Edinburgh - Brian Edwards

A highly illustrated and comprehensive review of the development of Edinburgh over the past 1000 years. This book reviews the making and remaking of Edinburgh by exploring a series of themes of wide relevance in the context of their impact upon the form of the city and its success as a capital. Themes include: the European influence on urban and architectural form; the synthesis of architecture, landscape and topography; the dialogue between conservation and innovation; the search for social, economic and cultural sustainability; and the role of governance and public action in urban ecology. A special feature of the book is the way the Old and New Towns are discussed as a connected problem of image and politics, rather than two isolated events in the history of the city. Likewise the relations between the city centre, the suburban edge and beyond throughout the 20th century are examined holistically, allowing the reader to gain a broader perspective both of the city of today and of the future. What emerges is a city unique - at least in the UK - in terms of the care taken over its image and sense of identity, and the political and institutional investment made in preserving this.