You didn’t ask but here’s my story: I moved to Glasgow in the 1990s and my first thought was: this rain, is it normal? I lived in Finnieston before it was trendy then Shawlands before it was expensive, but it was all good to me: I love the city and if could officially be a Glaswegian rather than an Aberdonian I would, even though real Glaswegians tell me I’ve got a nerve thinking I could ever become one of them. Are they having a laugh or are they starting a fight? (The doubt is another reason I love this place). In recent years though – and you may know what I’m about to say here – I’ve struggled a bit.
The state of George Square. The state of Sauchiehall Street. The Art School in flames.
The loss of building after building after building. Sometimes it’s hard to love a place when others seem intent of making it worse or at least doing little to stop it. I still love Glasgow.
But look at the scars. Part of the problem, I think, has been the fact Glasgow has a very small population in its centre. The death of the high street – most obvious in our poor friend Sauchiehall Street – and then the pandemic also accelerated the problem.
A great city should buzz and tingle after-hours but in the evenings the centre of Glasgow can in parts feel empty and lifeless, partly because no one is actually living there. But good news: people are moving back. According to figures released by the council the other day, the number of people living in the centre has risen by a t.