Glasgow has always been a vibrant and bustling city full of culture and trade. However many people that live in the city know little to nothing about its unique history and how it has shaped the city we know and love today. One of the most significant parts of Glasgow’s life as a city has been shipbuilding on the Clyde.
Shipbuilding And Trade On The Clyde
The river Clyde has been a home for commerce and trade for many years and since well before the Victorian era. Although having said this over this period this saw some of the most change to Glasgow’s landscape as the river Clyde was dredged to allow bigger ships and vessels to sail down the river. It wasn’t uncommon for dozens of ships to be docked in Glasgow offloading spices , sugar and other valuable materials of that era for merchants to trade and sell in the city centre. As a result the centre of the city was a site for commerce and trade and many more people were based near the docks where the ships would come in.
Tourism
Since the times of bustling commerce and trade the city has slowly lost its trade and become a more metropolitan and retail based city. This has led to many more high street shops being created as well as students and tourists flocking to the city predominantly in summer to learn more about its history and admire its historic architecture. Tourism has been a major driver for the local economy and has helped to generate millions of pounds to be invested back into the city. However some argue that tourism could potentially damage the city in a number of different ways. Tourism is only like to grow in Scotland as a whole for the years to come.
An example of this can be illustrated in Edinburgh city during its busiest period of the year , the Edinburgh fringe festival. Over this period it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people visit the city mainly for the festival and as a result property prices within the city rise dramatically to astronomical levels. This has led to increases in property costs in general in Edinburgh across the city making it harder for locals as well as those working in the city to afford rent rates.
What Might The Future For Glasgow Be?
Glasgow is increasingly gaining investment from the Scottish government as well as from tourism , property investment and business investment from a number of different sources. Its likely that in the near future Glasgow will become a bigger city and expand alongside its population growing as well. In order to facilitate this growth more property will need to be built in order to cope with demand. Overall to conclude it is clear that Glasgow is a diverse and busy city with a lot to offer to its inhabitants. Although there has been much investment in the city there needs to be more property construction in order to deal with demand in the long term.
