Dundee’s
cultural renaissance is progressing hand-in-hand with its economic and
social regeneration. With a population of just over 143,000, the City
of Discovery has punched well above its weight in reinventing itself as
a city renowned for its energy, expertise and entrepreneurialism. Its
reputation for excellence in fields as diverse as the life sciences and
creative industries is spreading nationally and internationally, and the
city is moving into a new phase of development.
Indeed the spirit of discovery is at the heart of the “new” Dundee.
Scotland’s fourth city has shed its image of post-industrial decline
and transformed itself in to a buzzing hub of activity, where the
emphasis is on scientific excellence and artistic and cultural verve.
As an educational centre, Dundee has one of the highest student ratios
per head of population anywhere in the UK, and this energy brings a
whole new dimension to the city’s nightlife, leisure and cultural
facilities.
Its rejuvenated city centre has created one of the finest shopping zones in Scotland. Dundee’s transformation and growing sense of confidence is perhaps best symbolised by the success of Dundee Contemporary Arts, a nationally recognised cinema, gallery, bar and restaurant that is at the heart of the city’s cultural quarter, and the multi-million pound plans for the redevelopment of the waterfront. Dundee is very much a city on the rise.
Interesting Dundee facts...
The Dundee workforce
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More
than 2300 people are employed in the creative industries sector in
Tayside, which boasts 200 companies with a combined annual turnover of
more than £100m.
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More
than 2200 people are employed in the life sciences sector in the Dundee
area working in some of the most significant research areas in the UK,
including new drug therapies and treatments for diseases such as
cancer, AIDS, sleeping sickness and malaria.
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Abertay launched Scotland's first degree in computer arts, underpinning
the creative industries sector that supports 600,000 jobs across
Britain and contributes more than £20 billion to the UK economy.
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Abertay launched Scotland's first degrees in bioinformatics and
biotechnology, and is now a leader for teaching and
industrially-relevant research and consultancy in environmental science.
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Dundee arts and culture
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Dundee
Contemporary Arts is widely recognised as one of the most successful
arts projects in the UK. The £9m centre, designed by architect Richard
Murphy, has helped to create the equivalent of 258 full-time jobs and
generated more than £4m in earnings in its first three years.
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Dundee
Rep theatre is home to Scotland’s only full-time resident acting ensemble and
contemporary dance company. The award-winning theatre stages an
all-year-round programme of theatre, comedy, dance and music. It
recently swept the board at the recent national drama critics’ awards.
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Dundee
hosts a packed calendar of cultural events each year including the Dundee
Guitar Festival, Dundee Blues Bonanza, Dundee Flower and Food
Festival, and Discovery, Scotland’s International Film Festival for
Children and Young People.
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The
multi-award winning museum, Verdant Works, celebrates Dundee’s heritage
as Juteopolis and depicts the lives of the 50,000 people who worked in
the city’s jute industry at its height.
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Discovery
Point is home to Captain Scott’s restored Royal Research Ship
Discovery, in which he sailed on his 1901 to 1904 Antarctic expedition.
It boasts a newly revamped visitor centre and conference facilities
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Creative industries in Dundee
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Groundbreaking
computer games such as Lemmings, F1 2000, Grand Theft Auto, State of
Emergency and Denki Blocks were developed by Dundee-based companies.
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The
£6m Sensation science centre is a visitor attraction based around the
five senses, housing more than 60 interactive exhibits. It is designed
to make learning about science fun, to help inspire the next generation
of scientists in the city.
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An innovative city
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A
£250m, 30-year project to redevelop Dundee’s central waterfront area
and reunite the city centre with the River Tay has been approved by the
Scottish Government. The ambitious plans will see the removal of Tayside
House, the Olympia leisure centre, the railway station and leisure
centre walkways and the creation of a new civic space, dock area,
railway station and tree-lined boulevards.
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Work
is underway on a new £20m digital media park at Seabraes Yards close to
the city centre. The proposed 25 acre development will provide world
class accommodation for companies in the city’s burgeoning digital
media sector, and is expected to lead to the creation of up to 1000 jobs
over a ten-year period.
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The
Overgate is a £150m retail development at the heart of Dundee city
centre which is Europe’s only single-sided shopping mall with a curved
glass façade. It houses a wide range of designer fashion outlets.
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World
renowned architect Frank Gehry opened the Maggie’s Centre in Dundee,
the first building he has designed in the UK. The striking building was
named the Building of the Year by the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust
and one of the finest examples of architecture in Scotland by the Royal
Institute of British Architects.
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Find out more
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Dundee City Council - Contains all you need to know about the city, local information, A to Z of all services, Leisure and the Arts information.
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