Governance of the Scottish new towns, 1947-96

Abstract

The Scottish Office played a distinct and sometimes critical role in the development of Scotland’s five post-war new towns – East Kilbride, Glenrothes, Cumbernauld, Livingston and Irvine. But the story of how they were conceived, planned, administered and then closed down by the Scottish Office has not been told. This thesis contends that this process was highly specific to Scottish circumstances, and constituted an illuminating example of ‘administrative devolution’ – the political system, or network, that characterised the government of Scotland from the 1930s until the 1999 restoration of an elected, devolved administration in Edinburgh. It also provides a valuable case study of how governance – the interaction of government with society – can influence the built environment.