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Glasgow Today and Tomorrow

Glasgow Corporation's plans from 1949 for the redevelopment of Glasgow

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A film made by the Planning Committee of the Corporation of Glasgow in the post-war years and the Corporation's futuristic plans for the city's development.

The film was made to tie in with an exhibition of the same title, held at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow. It lays out ideas proposed in the Bruce Report 1945 - a plan for the complete deconstruction of the existing Victorian city centre in order to create a new 'healthy and beautiful city' of modern architecture. The film features shots of Victorian streets, slums and back closes, as well as architectural models and maps detailing the plans for redevelopment.

Questions & Activities


  • Why did Glasgow need redeveloping?
  • List the problems with housing conditions in Glasgow and the ways the new plans would improve this.
  • Why do you think overcrowding is a problem? What are the health implications?
  • What is the aim of the redevelopment - who will benefit?
  • What do you think Glasgow would be like today had all the architect's plans been built? Would you have liked to live in the 'new' city?
  • What would it have been like to live in a single end tenement flat - one room with a bed to share your family?
  • Why do you think the tower blocks that were built as a result of this plan are now being demolished?
  • Do you think the plan was a success or failure?


Research the Bruce Report of 1945. Explore why Glasgow needed to be modernised and what plans were drawn up.

What areas of Glasgow were due to be modernised and how much of the architect's plan was actually built.

Create an action plan for improving your local area.

The film mentions the building of the Clyde Tunnel as one of key plans for the new city. Research the development and building of the Clyde Tunnel and find out what technology was used in its construction. What other cities/countries have tunnels?

Research how effective the Clyde Tunnel has been in helping reduce congestion from the bridges over the Clyde? How many bridges now exist over the river?

Create your own plan for a new house or flat today. How many rooms would it have and what would they be used for in today's modern society?

Research what it would have been like to live in the tenements before 1949. Visit the People's Palace Museum to look at their recreation of a single-end tenement flat. If you live in a tenement flat, try and find out where the recess bed would have been located and what is there now. Present your findings either with an essay/talk or a multi-media presentation using stills, text and film where possible.

Pretend you were living in a single-end tenement flat just after the war, write a diary entry of your day. Where do you play, where do you sleep. What is it like?

Research what improvements featured in the film were made and what happened to these later? (e.g. roads and transport, housing etc).

Many of the tower blocks that were built as a result of this plan are now demolished. Debate what parts of the Bruce Plan failed and what succeeded.

If you lived in a tower block that was demolished, write a story to present to the class about what it was like to live there and where you live now. What do you prefer in your new home and what do you miss about your old home?

Clip Details

Record Id 007-000-000-331-C
Resource Rights Holder National Library of Scotland
Project Ref 3158
Date 1949
Genre Promotional Film, Sponsored
School Subject Geography, Social Studies, Social History, Technologies, English, Modern Studies, Art and Design, Health and Wellbeing
Who Erica Masters (director), Moviegram Films (production company), Planning Committee of The Corporation of Glasgow (sponsor)
Where Glasgow
Event Redevelopment, Town planning
Attributes Black and White, Sound
Clip Length 7:58
Film Length 7:58
References In: - Bruce Report.