Falkirk Wheel, Panoramic view.

Falkirk Wheel, Panoramic view.
Image by Cameron Lyall, GNU license Wikimedia

24 June 2011

Postindustrial Leisure Area

The downtown area of Dundee, with its boutiques, restaurants and shopping malls, is a perfect example of how this town has moved into the postindustrial era.

The areas and neighborhoods that provide people with entertainment and luxury goods that industrial residents could not afford exemplify postindustrial culture. From visiting Verdant Works and the Firth of Forth Bridge, we learned that many Scottish residents who labored in industrial jobs were typically poor and could not afford luxuries. Dundee has shown a big leap away from this culture with its square. From the many times I have visited, there have always been people rushing around, shopping, dining or enjoy a cup of coffee while surfing the Web on their laptops.

There seems to be some free time for locals. This free time would not have been available for industrial workers needing as many possible hours laboring in order to sustain a living.

Through these past two weeks, we have learned about how Dundee is trying to become a travel destination. The coming of the V&A Museum is a big contribution to this soon-to-be cosmopolitan postindustrial city, and the upscale downtown area is another. Dundonians can now afford to spend time in this postindustrial exemplification of wealth and leisure. In the past they could not.

Though Dundee is postindustrial, it is not quite cosmopolitan yet. The square is a step toward this ultimate goal.

1 comment:

Rich said...

What makes a destination a sought after travel destination? At what point do places people/we live in become places that other people want to explore? Is it simply a matter of context?

Anyway, enjoying reading your posts, Bridget.

-Rich Rice, Texas Tech