Dundee

Dundee is situated on the banks of the River Tay on the east coast of Scotland, approximately 110km north of Edinburgh. With a population of 142,000, Dundee is Scotland’s fourth-largest city and the regional centre for a much wider area.

The town developed into a burgh in medieval times, and expanded rapidly in the 19th century largely due to the jute industry. This, along with its other major industries, gave Dundee its label as the city of “jute, jam and journalism.” Since the 1960s, the city worked hard to reinvent itself and address the issues faced by many post-industrial cities. Moving from manufacturing to knowledge-based industries, the city has benefited from its higher education institutions, with over 21,000 students. Key growth sectors are biomedical and biotechnology, digital media and games as well as services. The city now accounts for 10% of the UK’s digital-entertainment industry.

Plans for a new venue of the London-based Victoria & Albert Museum, the V&A Museum of Design Dundee, due to be opened in 2017, are seen as a catalyst for regeneration, especially for the continuing waterfront redevelopment. This project will reconnect the city with its historic riverside.

Dundee has been engaged in city marketing for over 20 years. Today it is promoted as ‘One City, Many Discoveries’, in recognition of Dundee’s history of scientific work and of Captain Scott’s Antarctic exploration vessel RRS Discovery, which was built in Dundee and is now in the city’s harbour. The logo reflects the city’s shift to a knowledge-based economy.