Glasgow Riverside Innovation District
The Glasgow Riverside Innovation District is a partnership between Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise and the University of Glasgow, aiming to create an environment which will boost existing collaborations with industry and encourage the formation of new ones in some of the most dynamic sectors of the economy.
Encompassing both banks of the River Clyde, an area synonymous with the legacy of shipbuilding and Glaswegian leadership in industry, GRID offers the city the chance to reimagine our proud industrial heritage for the 21st century and to establish Glasgow’s leadership in the industries of the future.
Building on existing assets
With one of the top 100 universities in the world as the anchor institution, GRID benefits from a huge range of existing world-class infrastructure: which will be enhanced as the University’s main campus in the city’s West End undergoes a £1bn redevelopment programme, offering enhanced access to the University’s research assets and capabilities, as well as world-class skills and talent. We have collaborated with Local Authority partners as we have developed our campus, building on the brownfield land available on the western campus, and we will continue this programme into the brownfield land at Church Street.
Alongside access to the outstanding academic expertise based around the University, GRID is home to the world-leading Clinical Innovation Zone based around the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, the largest hospital campus in Europe, as well as the emerging cultural quarter based around the Kelvingrove Museum & Art Gallery, the world-leading Scottish Events Campus and the vibrant media hub at Pacific Quay, which includes the headquarters of BBC Scotland.
By bringing together these diverse industries, skillsets and perspectives, GRID offers the chance to create a world-class innovation cluster which can see Glasgow retake its place at the forefront of international industry and innovation.
Local authority collaboration regarding planning and development
The Glasgow Riverside Innovation District project, anchored by the University of Glasgow, brings our local authority and enterprise agency partners together to discuss a diverse range of topics concerned with how we plan and develop our innovation district programme. Our University Economic Development Board that governs the project has 5 workstreams, covering innovation, infrastructure, skills, data and communications. Our infrastructure working group is cochaired by the university joint venture team and a representative from the Glasgow City Council planning team, also reflected in the wider membership of the group.
We have also worked closely the Local Authority and City Region on the Glasgow City Region City Deal, working in partnership to develop a masterplan for the Clyde Waterfront Innovation Campus. We have also been key stakeholders on the gateway review process on the City Deal project, providing feedback on future options for planning and development across the city region.
Glasgow Riverside Innovation District
Govan Housing Study:
The Govan housing study arose because of a shared desire from the City council and the three local community controlled housing associations to better understand housing requirements in the area and also to assess the evidence which could support a strategic business case for a package of interventions within the local housing system in order to steer housing development, including from the private sector, to the benefit of Govan and the city. This study was also supported by the University of Glasgow, which is an important stakeholder, via the (Glasgow Riverside Innovation District) (GRID) programme, in the wider Govan area.
The first phase of the project involved a scoping out of the Govan housing system including a data audit of data sources and their quality e.g. our capacity to benchmark key Govan housing indicators alongside benchmarks such as comparable electoral wards in Glasgow and the city. We also conducted cross sectoral stakeholder interviews to provide a richer sense of the housing system, alongside a review of secondary and grey literature, planning and related documents relevant to Govan.
First, Govan’s regeneration needs leadership, co-ordination and commitment but it faces (and can learn from) many similar challenges overcome already elsewhere in Glasgow. Second, there are systems thinking insights which speak to how we understand and anticipate future opportunities within the PRS, the asset management of the existing stock, students housing, affordable private housing for sale, transport and place connectivity. Third, LHSA insights are valuable. Despite its natural hard boundaries, Govan remains a very open economic system with considerable implications for the local housing system and development opportunities.