The hearts of cities are often marked by their great streets: theatres of commerce, places for tourists to gawk at, and the settings for civic and institutional performance and display.

Edinburgh and Glasgow are thus characterised, respectively, by Princes Street and Sauchiehall street; each in its own way, architectural set pieces, and each subject to the vagaries of commerce and fashion.

How are the characters of these streets re-produced and managed in response to and for changing times? How can heritage bodies contribute to these characters, balancing at the same time both change and continuity of the city itself?

Terry Levinthal is the Director of Edinburgh World Heritage. With over 25 years of experience in public and charity organisations, he has held leadership positions with diverse organisations such as The Cockburn Association, National Trust for Scotland and Scottish Civic Trust. Additionally, he has held non-executive Board positions on environmental and heritage bodies including Historic Environment Scotland.

Levinthal will explore Princes Street's pattern of transformation, consider some of the "visionary" ideas for the street and ponder what comes next.

Niall Murphy is the Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust and a conservation architect with over 25 years of experience. He specialises in heritage, conservation, and community issues in Glasgow and is passionate about architecture, urban design and cities.

Sauchiehall Street forms part of the Golden ‘Z’ – the retail heart of Glasgow. Unfortunately, the street is struggling with the loss of large scale retailers and two major fires since 2018. The challenge for Glasgow is to overcome the subsequent blight while handling the inevitable change in the street’s character as buildings are adapted, regenerated or new uses found. Murphy will explore this journey.

Contact the host of Tale of Two Streets: Regenerating Princes Street and Sauchiehall Street