Rebecca Buchan: Giant letters could spell out a brighter future for Aberdeen city centre

An ‘Aberdeen’ sign won’t solve all of the city’s problems, but it’s a forward-thinking, fun idea that shouldn’t be dismissed, writes Rebecca Buchan.

I have never been to Hollywood. It’s never quite made it to the top of my travel wish list. But, if someone handed me a free plane ticket, I wouldn’t say no.

I am sure there is a long list of inviting tourist attractions in the land of the rich and famous but, personally, checking out that iconic hillside sign would be among the first things I’d do.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Aberdeen is set to get its own version of its name in lights. Quite literally.

But, instead of the sign being perched on the side of a hill, the large, portable letters are to start out life in the historic Castlegate. Over time, they could make their way around the city, stopping off in many high-profile locations, such as Aberdeen University’s campus (for graduations), the beachfront, or the newly redeveloped Union Terrace Gardens.

The Instagrammable installation is an initiative being brought forward by the business improvement district, Aberdeen Inspired. It is hoped visitors will be attracted to the letters’ photogenic appearance, and the idea is that it will help to increase footfall around wherever they are placed.

The concept was first touted for the Granite City by a team of volunteers who came together with the sole purpose of coming up with possible ways to improve Aberdeen.

I have been lucky enough to be involved with the group of Vanguardees for a few years now, so I must admit that the announcement of these large letters was something I had been eagerly anticipating for some time. The overwhelmingly negative public reaction has simply stunned me.

Keyboard warriors wasted no time in hitting out at the project, which has taken years to make it from concept to planning application. How must the people who give their time freely for what they believe is ultimately the greater good of the city feel when they read such attacks online?

Drive and desire to make a change should be celebrated and praised

The group exists without personal agenda. There is a degree of involvement from “weel kint” faces among the business community, of course. But, they mainly act as mentors to those who just want to make a difference.

This drive and desire to make a change should be celebrated and praised, not ridiculed.

Of course, there is always room for constructive criticism. Not everyone needs to agree that everything is a good idea.

I would argue there must be a reason decorative letters like these exist in so many other cities across the globe, like Amsterdam, Toronto and Porto. I guess the proof will be in the pudding on this one.

But, with Aberdeen City Council about to agree on next year’s budget on March 1, it is clear that any sort of cash injection from the local authority into regeneration will be limited beyond what has already been agreed.

This is why it is so important that we encourage all viable ideas which are suggested with good intentions.

A symbol of positive change – and fun

Much of the criticism of the Aberdeen sign project has come from people who want to see Union Street’s decline tackled first. This is a sentiment I understand, but the initiative is not moving forward in place of work to tackle the street’s deterioration.

Again, last year, another group of volunteers, made up of some of those who took the time to be involved in Vanguard, alongside many others, too, gathered to try to come up with solutions to fix Aberdeen’s ailing city centre.

None of these people were being paid to do so; they took time out of their days and came together to try to improve the city where they live and work. It’s more than can be said for all those who are quick to criticise any new idea to boost Aberdeen from behind the safety of their computer screen.

Erecting giant letters might not lead to significant regeneration of our city, but they are symbolic of positive change, forward-thinking and, of course, fun. The concept should be encouraged in order to open the floor to bigger and better ideas for the future, not ridiculed by ill-informed naysayers.

We all want to see Aberdeen city centre flourishing again – a prospect which, for right now, might feel like the stuff of Hollywood fiction…

In the meantime, let’s see if these letters could spell out a brighter future for the Castlegate.

Rebecca Buchan is City and Shire Team Leader for The Press & Journal and Evening Express