Tetra Tech provided concept designs for the City of Edinburgh Council’s ambitious £28 million project to transform the historic George Street area.
Through a narrated video fly-through, artist’s impressions, interactive 3D visuals, and organised virtual guided tours, Tetra Tech collaborated with the architects at LDA Design to demonstrate a photorealistic glimpse of what this stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site could look like once complete.
The George Street and First New Town Public Realm Improvements Project will include a package of coordinated works to radically uplift the quality of walking, cycling, accessibility, and public spaces. The project’s design puts people first, protects the area’s heritage, promotes biodiversity and a sustainable environment, while also providing accessible transport links.
All these improvements will reinforce the recently announced City Mobility Plan, a ten-year strategy to overhaul transport and mobility in the Capital to deliver a sustainable, net-zero carbon and inclusive future. They also support various other Council initiatives like the Edinburgh City Centre Transformation Strategy, the Active Travel Action Plan, and projects like Low Emission Zones.
Starting this week and continuing in March, the general public will be invited to give feedback informing the final iteration of the designs before submission to the Transport and Environment Committee in April. The required statutory processes under which the scheme will be constructed are due to commence this summer.
If approved, construction will commence in 2023 and finish by 2025, with £20m of the funding coming from Transport Scotland via Sustrans.
“The proposed concept design for George Street and the First New Town represents a bold and ambitious step forward for the City of Edinburgh Council in developing a city centre for the future. The design provides an adaptable flexible space that will support the movement of pedestrians and cyclists, supporting economic recovery, and exemplifying great placemaking,” said Mark Rinkus, project director for Tetra Tech’s transport team in Scotland.
Our co-design approach to this project supported our collaborative working with a wide range of stakeholders including a range of other city centre projects. Tetra Tech is delighted to have worked with our chosen designers LDA Design and marketing and communications specialist StreetsUK in achieving this pivotal milestone in the George Street journey.
Some specific key improvements of the project include the following:
- Inclusive spaces where people can sit, rest, relax and enjoy the street.
- Plazas that reinforce views of key historic building for the first time in decades, provide attractive spaces, and support appropriately sized events.
- Widened pedestrian areas to enhance accessibility and movement flow while incorporating segregated space for cyclists.
- Reallocated road space reducing vehicle impact and prioritsing bus and vehicle access for the most vulnerable. Through consideration of future economy trends and their impacts, the flexible design also allows for adaptable delivery methods that reduce reliance on heavy goods vehicles.
- Removal of central parking areas to open up street traversal and promote pedestrian access to local business.
- New urban greenery and removal of street clutter that enhances comfort.
To learn more about the George Street project or to watch the 3D fly-through, visit the Council’s website.
