Coursework Brief

Aberdeen City Centre Regeneration



Aberdeen city, like many other city centres, has been in decline for a number years. Union
Street, Aberdeen’s high street has suffered the same fate as many high streets in the UK with
a large number of empty shop units and increasing competition from out-of-town shopping and
new shopping malls. The impact of Covid has exacerbated this process, with people
increasingly working and shopping from home this has stifled city centre recovery and there is
evidence that these trends may continue. The Centre for Cities reported that the impact on
Aberdeen had been particularly significant with Aberdeen recording the steepest fall in job
vacancies (BBC, 2020).

One city that has taken an innovative approach to regeneration is Stockton-on Tees. Plans
have been announced there to knock down the shopping arcade and build a riverside park.
This is part of a strategy to rethink what city centres should and could be and to find
alternative ways to attract people to cities that does not depend on the traditional mix of retail

and hospitality alone. Dundee has also taken a similar approach to economic regeneration by
positioning itself as a centre of culture with the opening of the new V & A museum and the city
has also recently announced that the Eden Project will set up its first attraction in Scotland on
a former Dundee gasworks.

Aberdeen City Council developed a regeneration masterplan in 2015 with the aim of
‘transforming the city while conserving its proud heritage’ (Aberdeen City Council, n.d.). The
masterplan objectives were to change the perception of Aberdeen, to move from being viewed
as the ‘oil and gas capital of Europe’ to being an energy city, to be seen as a more
cosmopolitan city rich with cultural activity and creativity. In May 2021 the council agreed to
review their plan for the city. In light of the changes that Covid is likely to bring to Aberdeen.


Requirements of the Coursework

You have been hired as a consultant to Aberdeen City Council to review their regeneration
strategy and identify suitable projects in line with the aims of the Masterplan. In light of the
changes that Covid is likely to bring to Aberdeen you have been asked to identify 3 projects
that would fit the objectives of the Masterplan. You must recommend one project that you
would propose to implement and develop a high level plan for that project.


Option Appraisal and recommendation

1. Identify 3 possible projects that would be suitable options in response to the project brief
for the organisation to consider. Provide a brief outline of each option in terms of time,
cost, alignment with the brief and risk.

Identify a decision–making framework in order to
critically evaluate and assess the merits of each of your options, you should include risk,
benefits, costs, time and fit with the overall aims of the project brief, you can identify any
other criteria you deem appropriate.

Following your option appraisal, you are required to
make a recommendation on the most beneficial potential project to adopt. You must
ensure you provide a clear rationale for your choice.