An influential Canadian planning guru has said Aberdeen has assets other cities would “kill for”.
Rollin Stanley has helped kick start regeneration in major cities across North America – including St Louis and Montgomery in the US – and, most recently, Calgary in Canada.
He was invited to the north-east as part of Aberdeen City Council’s City Talk series – part of the planning process for the City Centre Masterplan.
Speaking prior to his presentation at the Robert Gordon University last night, Mr Stanley said he was “shocked” by the amenities the city had to offer.
He said: “A lot of places would kill for this level of retail, particularly the food services like grocery stores, I was shocked.
“In a lot of cities in the states – St Louis and other places I’ve worked, and even Calgary – it’s difficult to get a grocery store, despite the number of people living there.”
As general manager of planning, development and assessment in Calgary, Mr Stanley is helping to transform a city which has many parallels with Aberdeen.
Calgary experienced its own oil boom in the past and, much like Aberdeen, this was followed by a rapid expansion in its population and economy.
However, faced with a slump in oil prices in the 80s, the city was forced to diversify and look to other industries.
It now boasts thriving tourism and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Mr Stanley said it was vital that Aberdeen followed his city’s lead, adding: “Calgary is a good example because we went through the same type of city planning process that you’re going through.
“What I’m trying to convey to people is it’s great to have that planning, you need it, but you don’t want it sitting on the shelf, it’s critical to talk about how you’re going to implement it and how you’re going to pay for it.
“The key to any public process is to make sure the engagement is wide. Engagement’s a tricky thing, you want to make sure you reach out to everybody and that means you use as many available sources as you can.”
Public consultation on the City Centre Masterplan will start on March 14.