Westburn, Wester Hailes

Category

Library Item

Item no

19903

Title

Westburn, Wester Hailes

Description

Two men are photographed beside a parked car in a car park. One of the men waits at the passenger side door, whilst the other man approaches the boot of the car. The car is parked in front of a low wall with a railed fence above it.

Artist / maker

Walsh, Kevin

Date

1992

Size

21.4 x 16.5 cm

Type

Photograph

Wester Hailes, located on the western periphery of Edinburgh, is a post-war housing estate constructed between 1969 and 1975. On completion, the housing stock comprised a mixture of tenements and high rise. Wester Hailes possessed a declining population with a high proportion of single parent and low income households, high unemployment and a high turnover of tenancies. It was one of four peripheral housing estates chosen to take part in the New Life for Urban Scotland Initiative in 1988. The initiative and the partnerships that they generated were expected to provide valuable lessons on how to tackle the social, economic and environmental problems of large urban distressed areas. The area was extensively redeveloped during the 1990s and 2000s with a number of initiatives outlined by the Wester Hailes Partnership. These initiatives covered housing and environmental improvement, the improvement of social facilities, the provision of training opportunities and the promotion of community activities and involvement. Housing and environmental improvements have had a visible impact with a large number of properties being renovated and others being demolished and replaced with newer 'low-rise' housing.

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Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Railings

People > Adults > Men

Places > Edinburgh areas > Wester Hailes

Transport > Infrastructure > Car parks

Transport > Land > Cars