Dr. Geoffrey Buckley
The Geography Colloquium Series presents Dr. Geoffrey Buckley on “Rethinking Fountainbridge: Honoring the Past and Greening the Future in an Edinburgh Neighborhood” on Friday, Aprilh 6, at 3:05 p.m. in Clippinger 119.
Buckley is Professor of Geography at Ohio University. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Oregon and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. His research interests include historical geography, public lands, urban sustainability, environmental justice, and the evolution of mining landscapes. His articles have appeared in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Geographical Review, Cities and the Environment, and Urban Ecosystems. Along with Yolonda Youngs, he is the editor of The American Environment Revisited: Environmental Historical Geographies of the United States (2018).
Abstract: Since the 1970s Edinburgh, Scotland 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, sense of place, 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.
Comments