Who Gets to Live In Edinburgh?

If there is one never-changing element to Edinburgh, it is that it is ever-changing. A city in flux, the streets are a marriage of heritage and modernity, with the UNESCO-listed Old Town neighbouring new luxury apartments and commercial spaces. Within Edinburgh lies the embodiment of a striking architectural duality, with the city’s historic charms oftentimes clashing with the sleek, minimalist lines of modern developments. This tension between legacy and present-day growth raises critical questions about urban transformation. While some argue that these developments are a key addition to the city’s infrastructure by attracting tourists and franchised businesses, others worry about the future of Edinburgh’s local population, with the urban evolution of Edinburgh presenting the dilemma: who gets to live in Edinburgh? 

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For countless residents, simply staying in the city has become a financial struggle, with reports of Scots being priced out of neighbourhoods where their families have lived for generations. Edinburgh’s population has experienced a troubling rise in property prices in recent years, with the Office for National Statistics reporting a 10% increase in house prices and rent since last year. A figure published earlier this year indicates the percentage increase in rent in Edinburgh – exceeding 100%. This serves as a small indication of the capital’s displacement of local communities, a consequence of city-wide gentrification that shows no signs of abating in the future. A similar unstoppable force to be reckoned with is Airbnb. The bane of any first-time home buyer’s existence, Airbnb have had a monumental role in Edinburgh’s social gentrification and its hiking up of property prices. By allowing people to buy properties in the city centre or suburbs and then register them to be let on a short-term basis via Airbnb, private landlords are making Edinburgh’s housing more accessible for tourists than current residents. Incidents such as these cause a great social shift within cities – by doing this, only high-income individuals or tourists would be able to afford housing in Edinburgh in the future. The introduction of Airbnb in the last 10 years has caused rents to rise in certain residential areas, forcing people who cannot afford the increased rent out of their homes and, oftentimes, onto the city streets.  

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Everyone appreciates the concept of a new thing. But when being the new thing isn’t your known story or decided brand, is it so wise to go all in? Edinburgh, a city known for the richness of its culture, architecture, and history, is undergoing a renovation. While the residents of Edinburgh work against the rapidly increasing cost of Edinburgh living, Edinburgh is under the knife. Its spires sit nestled amongst more buildings every year as Edinburgh’s homes, centres, and offices grow. MODA Living’s build-to-rent schemes, with rents of approximately £1,500   for one-bedroom flats, may seem like a positive new addition to Edinburgh. They have shared amenities, have created jobs in the building of these mass developments and are useful to students looking for accommodation. However, they’ve proven themselves to be harmful to Edinburgh’s society because of their high rates. This is an internal, social element of gentrification wherein homes are only affordable for high-income people, driving Edinburgh’s low-income population out of the area in order to make it a ‘newer’ space, catering only to high-income individuals. These slow, visual changes to Edinburgh’s skyline indicate a change in Edinburgh’s population – making it a population of high-income individuals for high-income individuals. Edinburgh’s identity as a UNESCO World Heritage site must be conserved and respected, and activists feel that the gentrification of the city, both socially and architecturally, is not the correct direction. 

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But as Edinburgh and its governors battle to reshape its identity, the city’s people must confront the harsh realities of their leadership’s actions. As development surges forward, a growing movement of residents, activists, and conservationists is pushing back against a city losing its soul. In a city appearing on track to become unaffordable for most, activists from various charities and nonprofits agree that displacing Edinburgh’s local population is not the solution. Living Rent, the national tenants’ union, has launched organised campaigns focused on keeping locals in Edinburgh’s homes, emphasising initiatives like “Homes Not Hotels” to challenge the preference for luxury developments catering to tourists over locals and the use of Airbnb to accommodate tourists rather than providing options for long-term local renters. Shelter Scotland, the charity advocating for housing as a human right, has regularly criticised the government for its lack of social and affordable housing options housing.  

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Today, Edinburgh’s future hangs in the balance, not just in bricks and mortar but also in terms of who is fortunate enough to call the city home. Edinburgh is at a fork in its evolution—gentrification or less homelessness? It is to be hoped that this new Edinburgh will be a better Edinburgh, not one that leaves its people behind in pursuit of driving tourism and revenue, but one that has not had its unique character eroded by modern developments. Many such questions are still unanswered: ‘Where is Edinburgh headed?’, ‘When will Edinburgh’s housing be affordable for Edinburgers?’, ‘Who gets to live in Edinburgh?’ The answer? The highest bidder.