Do you live, work or study in Govanhill? What changes would you like to see in Govanhill to make the neighbourhood more attractive, safer and better suited to your needs? Glasgow City Council are currently consulting on how to better respond to the idea of a 20 minute city. Read on to find out how to have your say.

Govanhill Illustration by Kate Benzie for Greater Govanhill magazine.

According to Glasgow City Council, “Glasgow's Liveable Neighbourhoods (LN) are set to reduce the city's car dependency by transforming streets into safer, more attractive spaces where every day needs can be met locally and where people travelling actively and by public transport are prioritised.”

“Liveable Neighbourhoods is Glasgow's approach to blending the 20-minute neighbourhood concept with the place principle to respond to the current environmental, social, health and economic challenges the city faces.”

Read more: The Fifteen Minute City — Book by Natalie Whittle

People are being encouraged to share their opinions on the four key themes:

Local Town Centres: Strengthening local centres to meet the everyday needs of the community locally, bringing vibrancy, activity, and jobs.

Everyday Journeys: Improving the quality of utility journeys (for example, the daily commute, school run, visiting friends and family, or trips to the shops).

Active Travel: Enabling walking, wheeling and cycling within neighbourhoods and connecting to the city network.

Streets for People: Promoting a better balance between vehicles and people.

The consultation will feed into a long list of opportunities for the neighbourhoods which could result in further design development and construction, subject to funding.

They are currently working with consultants to get local people involved in making the neighbourhoods of Pollokshields East, Govanhill and Greater Gorbals work better for those who live, work, study and visit here. They’re seeking to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of each neighbourhood in order to identify where future interventions should be focused.

Up until Sunday 26th February, people are being asked to “about their neighbourhood, what they like, and how they would make it better”.

Drop-in events

Members of the public are invited to come along to discuss the opportunities around each theme in more detail on the following dates:

Friday 17 February (4-7pm): Nan McKay Hall, End of St Johns Road, Pollokshields, G41 5SR [Translators available for: Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic and Polish]
Monday 20 February (4-7pm): The Deep End, 21 Nithsdale Street, Govanhill, G41 2PZ [Translators being arranged]
Tuesday 21 February (10am-1pm): Gorbals Parish Church, 1 Errol Gardens, Glasgow, G5 0RA

Pop-Ups

The team will also be popping up in each neighbourhood throughout February - where you can meet the team and find out more about how you can get involved:

Wednesday 8 February (approx. 1-2pm): outside Co-Op Food, 190 Crown Street, Gorbals, G5 9ZR
Wednesday 8 February (approx. 4.30-5.30pm): foot of Tradeston Bridge, Clyde Place Quay
Thursday 9 February (approx. 12-2pm): outside Govanhill Community Newsroom, 82 Bowman Street, G42 8LF [Translators for Urdu, Arabic, Romanian and Farsi]
Friday 10 February (approx. 1-3pm): outside Oatlands Hub, 2 Wolseley Terrace, Oatlands

Can't make an event?

You can still share your thoughts by filling the survey on Have your say. This survey can also be completed in person at: Pollokshields Library, Govanhill Library and the Gorbals Library. Surveys are available in English, Polish, Romanian, Farsi, Urdu, Gujurati, Arabic and Ukrainian.