Courtesy of Scottish Screen Archive

The Bruce Report of 1945 (Clyde Valley Plan) sought to address the crisis of Glasgow's overcrowding, slums and poor housing conditions. Its prime recommendation was an overspill policy. Glaswegians from the slums would be transferred to newly created towns, purpose-built to accommodate a modern workforce. Three new towns were built, East Kilbride, Cumbernauld and Glenrothes, followed later by Livingstone.

Cumbernauld lies 13 miles north from Glasgow, and was developed from 1956 to accommodate Glasgow's overspill. The town's modern planning and architecture were considered both controversial and forward-thinking at the time. Such design has since fallen out of fashion, rendering the town redolent of the sort of architecture pejoratively associated with the modernist concrete 'boxes for living' ethos. Functionality was key in the planning of Cumbernauld. As the clip illustrates, the town centre was built to contain all civic amenities under one roof, and remain within easy access (20 minutes or less) from anywhere in town.

One of several promotional films made by the Scottish new town corporations, under the aegis of and distributed by the Films of Scotland Committee to promote and publicise the standard of living in the new towns, and to attract industrial development.

Kenneth Broom

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