Do you feel like the development of the V&A has given the city a new reputation?

Elderly woman:

“Dundee has definitely had some development since the creation of the V&A. Even though I
have never been there, I realised that there are far more tourists overall in the city like for
Example in the shopping centre. I mean Dundee has had a bad reputation in the UK with
social problems, but I believe that with the right marketing the V&A will manage to change
the city.”

Middle-aged resident:

“The V&A has really helped the city. Before it was developed Dundee was portrayed as this
city which has nothing offer besides that it’s the city with the highest drug deaths. But with
the development it has shifted public opinion and especially since it is on the waterfront it is
even more attractive for tourists”

Young adult from Hilltown:

“For the people outside it might have changed the reputation, but it didn’t really change
anything to be honest. The high crime rates and drug deaths still exist, even though people
from the centre might pretend like this is all the past.”

Policeman:

“Of course, has the V&A changed the reputation of Dundee. And it’s not only the image,
which is changing, the whole dynamic of the city is developing for the better. There are way
more tourists and they don’t only visit the V&A, they also tend to look at the City quay, the
waterfront and the Overgate shopping centre. They don’t only focus on the V&A, they focus
on the city in general and realise that there is much more than just the bad aspect, like
drugs and crime, which fundamentally leads to a change of the reputation which Dundee is
basically building up to.”

Elderly Man and women:

“We don’t feel like the V&A has made any changes in regard to reputation and
development. We would say that this some sort of desperate attempt to pretend like the
problems we face are not there. It just feels like Dundee still faces the same difficulties with
one of the highest crime rates in Scotland and drug addicts everywhere you stand. How
would a museum change this in any shape of form, it’s just a facade basically.”

Middle-aged woman from Broughty Ferry:

“A lot of people say it did change how Dundee is being spoken about, but I don’t really think
so to be honest. The V&A is great and all but how could that solve the economic and social
issues of the city. It’s just a tourist attraction but if you move away from the waterfront and
towards districts like Hilltown and Stobswell there is very little employment and education
and tourists often realise that Dundee still has a problem with this, which is also why I
decided to move to Broughty ferry away from the centre. Overall, I think that Dundee is still
known the same and has the same reputation.”

There is a statement which states: “The V&A in Dundee is a living room for the city” how
far do you agree with this statement?

Construction worker:

“No this is not true, besides people from out of town on the weekends, I see barely any
people there. The people from Dundee have all seen the V&A already and they feel like
there is no need for revisiting once in a while”

Elderly woman from Broughty ferry:

“No, I wouldn’t say so. Even though I don’t live in the city centre, I just don’t feel like it
would be a place for people to spend time and relax on a daily basis without actually
visiting. I would say the City quay is much more a place like that, where a lot of people
actually spend time and use it as a living room.”

Member of city council:

“Yes, I would say so. The V&A is part of the Waterfront, so this suggests that people who are
residents of Dundee like to go there as it is the most beautiful part of the city. There is the
Waterfront garden next to it with a Ferris Wheel and every day when I walk past the
Waterfront or when I am spending time there myself, it is fairly crowded. Like I said it’s not
only the tourists visiting, I know a lot of people personally who say that they are amazed
about the fact that a Guggenheim museum is now part of Dundee and that they really like
to spend time there.”

Students attending the University of Dundee:

“Absolutely. As students we have lots of work to do, so we often study or read books at the
Waterfront and being surrounded by the great building is aesthetically pleasing and
satisfying. And we are not the only ones to do this, a lot of our friends and just in general
Students study there because it is often not as busy as the shopping centre, where it is often
vastly overcrowded.”
Business owners:

Business owners of Real estate company:

“We couldn’t complain. The demand for flats and apartments has increased in the last 2
years drastically. I think this is due to the fact that with the development of the V&A the
public opinion on the city has changed. I remember reading an article saying that Dundee is
actually one of the coolest small cities in Europe, so I think it’s clear why people migrate to
this place. It is not known as the city with drug problems anymore, it has a better
reputation, and this has benefitted our market, so that’s why we are grateful for the V&A as
it got us into a good financial situation.”

Restaurant owners:

“We would say that our business has been working quite well recently. In the past we have
often struggled, but it has all changed when the V&A has been developed. It has created a
better image and therefore more people migrated to Dundee. Since the last two years we
had more and more visitors and became more financially stable. So yes, we would agree
that the V&A has meant that the reputation of the city has changed, and this should be the
reason why more visitors have come in recent times since 2018.”