The Scotsman

Plans to build nine urban villages on the "Forth Riviera" were revealed yesterday, immediately sparking debate on how Scotland should build new communities. Sink estates on city outskirts, massive tower blocks and soulless new towns with roundabouts scattered along near identical streets have blighted Scotland for decades. But Forth Ports has insisted it will transform Leith Docks into a place where generations of families would be able to live, work and enjoy themselves in a safe and "vibrant" urban setting. However, one of Scotland's leading architects warned developers in the UK were taking advantage of a planning system that was "a bit Wild West" and creating neighbourhoods reminiscent of Los Angeles, infamous for being one massive suburb with no actual centre. Richard Murphy OBE said he had been underwhelmed by what he had seen of (the existing) Edinburgh's Waterfront development and described the prestigious Platinum Point development, sited nearby, as a "catastrophe".