Glasgow Business . 17
www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com
deficits must be addressed, and how the city can beter organise its platform for business. It must be a demanding customer of the city, but also a friend and champion for the city.
What can governments do?
National governments can ensure the business climate – rules, regulations, systems of taxation, immigration, law enforcement, environmental management – strike a good balance between the desire to meet the expectations and rights of citizens, while at the same time enable entrepreneurship to continually succeed. It can ensure that economically sensitive public services such as skills, planning/land use and transport, are run in ways which are efficient and business like, and serve the economy. At city level, governments should lead
and build a co-ordinating vision, bringing together the business community with institutions in higher education, utilities and infrastructure, as well as citizen and other groups, to forge a common agenda to ensure these different components work together.
Generally what is the importance of major events to cities?
Tese events provide a city with a catalyst for accelerating progress on long-term development goals that cannot easily be otherwise achieved. Events bring a unique combination of large-scale activity, immovable deadlines, civic and citizen mobilisation, extensive international audiences and exposure, focused and concentrated place-based investment, and the opportunity to enhance identity, reputation and confidence. A city can’t get this combination from either public policy initiatives or market-based investment alone.
Specifically, what do you feel will be the benefits to Glasgow of the Commonwealth Games?
Te Commonwealth Games will help Glasgow renew its position as an important international city and continue to accelerate its long-term urban regeneration process
and achieve a modernisation of its infrastructure – for businesses, visitors and residents. All of those basic expectations can be achieved, but I think the more important challenge for Glasgow is to define even more precisely the nature of its future, and to set even more ambitious challenges for itself. Glasgow’s identity is still substantially
shaped by what it used to be, not what it will be. Te Commonwealth Games could help the city to demonstrate the future of Glasgow is even more exciting and glorious than the past.
How can Glasgow make sure it fully exploits these benefits?
Glasgow needs a strong, confident and dedicated effort to realise these benefits and host a great Games. Te problem for cities which have not achieved an optimum outcome following a major event, is that the activities required to host overtake the activities required to secure the benefits. Te short term and urgent trumps the long term and important. Glasgow needs to make sure it has two
A-teams – one delivering the Games and another leveraging the benefits. Tey have to work together, but they bring different complementary ambitions.
You have a longstanding relationship with Glasgow. What has changed for the better and for worse?
A huge number of things have changed for the beter in a sense that Glasgow has, more than any other city in Europe, led its own redevelopment efforts with courage, ingenuity and with a strong sense of purpose over the last 30 years. It is now a more resilient and diversified city, it has gone from survival to revival, and is ready to take big steps forwards. To me, Glasgow has completed two
cycles of its redevelopment effort through its municipal and civic leadership. Te next cycle requires a more broadly based leadership with vocal, well-organised business leadership supporting an articulate vision of Glasgow’s future.
What are the top three issues that Glasgow should be tackling in the next 10 years?
Te first thing is to focus on Glasgow’s future vision, identity, character and reputation; while building upon existing promotion (which is working well) and adding a broader base of leadership and confidence. Secondly, solving the problem of
investment in infrastructure and connectivity – particularly in terms of high-speed rail and air links – is hugely important. Finally, building a broader leadership
base is important so that the city council has an even more capable partnership with the business, hospitality, education, retail and culture sectors.
HEAR GREG IN PERSON...
Greg will speak at the Future for Glasgow City Centre: Act II conference on Thursday 25 October and will take part in Glasgow Talks ... The State of the City on Friday 9 November. For more information on these events, turn to page 25.
To find out more about Greg Clark and his work, visit
www.thebusinessofcities.com
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