Counter-Urbanization of Fishing Areas in Scotland: Toward a Resilience Concept Case Studies in Aberdeen City and Peterhead Szu-En Hsiao June, 2017 Supervisor: Alyne Delaney Co-Supervisor: Cristina Pita Counter-Urbanization of Fishing Areas in Scotland: Toward a Resilience Concept - Case Studies in Aberdeen City and Peterhead Title Aalborg University Counter-Urbanization of Fishing Areas in Joint European Master in Environmental Studies Scotland: Toward a Resilience Concept - Case – Cities and Sustainability Studies in Aberdeen City and Peterhead Department of Development and Planning Rendsburggade 14, 9000 Aalborg Thesis’ study Period February 2017 — June 2017 Date of Submission June 2nd, 2017 Author Szu-En Hsiao [email protected] Supervisor Alyne Delaney [email protected] Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University, Denmark Cover Image: Retrieved from “http://smart-la- dy.blogspot.dk/2010_12_01_archive.html” Co-Supervisor Cristina Pita [email protected] Department of Environment and Planning, © Copyright by author Aveiro University, Portugal The content of this report is freely available, but publication (with references) may only happen with authorization from the author. i Counter-Urbanization of Fishing Areas in Scotland: Toward a Resilience Concept - Case Studies in Aberdeen City and Peterhead Abstract Urban system do not function in isolation. It is systematically not only affecting the system itself but regionally and international influencing others’. The study focused on how governance strongly influenced the urban areas, and thus, changed the structures of surrounding settlements at the same time. Resilience, a concept which was been highly aware and applied in governmental policies over recent years, was used in the study to analyze the pros and cons of the existing urban system in studied cases. Aberdeen City and Peterhead, located in North East Scotland, were both strongly depending on their fishing industry back in several decades. Citizens in Aberdeen City have the highest average salaries among Scotland due to the oil industry located it the city. Fishing industry was replaced causing by the new development goals of Aberdeen’s municipality. Phenomenon of counter- urbanization was observed as numerous fishermen and fish processing firms began to move into Peterhead. This paper raised to hypotheses in order to discuss the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. First, society in Aberdeen will gain more profit by transforming fishing industry to oil industry. Second, Peterhead will also be benefit due to less complexity of governance with a clustered economy. Research methods included both literature reviews and stakeholder interviews. Interview questions were administered via a semi-structured interview guide with interviewees been chosen through purposive sampling frame. A designed resilient urban framework proposed by Desouza and Flanery (2013) and a policy analytical approach designed by Bredgaard et al. (2003) were used for analyzing results. The results presented that, Aberdeen City economically profited by the transformation but with loss on its social stability. Fluctuating oil prices affected the society from time to time. Increasing unemployment rate and insufficient potential abilities to recover from future stressors were recognized. On the other hand, situation in Peterhead was not as good as hypothesised. Governance was even more complicated with greater regional cooperation proposed due to limited financial sources. To sum up, cities with a more diverse industrial base structure may have better capability on addressing potential stressors. Moreover, cities and settlements should not put all the efforts on pursuing economic performance. A balanced development through different aspects would be the key for having a more resilient and sustainable society. ii Counter-Urbanization of Fishing Areas in Scotland: Toward a Resilience Concept - Case Studies in Aberdeen City and Peterhead Acknowledgement I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Alyne Delaney, for her instructive advice and assistance. She is always amiable and thoughtful, therefore, I consider myself as a very lucky person to have opportunity working with her on my thesis. Alyne, thank you so much for helping me completing this Mater thesis! I would also give my appreciation to my co-supervisor, Prof. Cristina Pita, for her continuous support on my research. Thank you for always trying your best to assist me from abroad. I would extend my thanks to Prof. Martin Lehmann who support our program over the years. In addition, my thesis is based on research conducted in North East Scotland. I appreciate the supports from all the respondents. Without their help, I would not be able to finish the research. My sincere thanks also goes to my lovely JEMES CiSu Family. It is so wonderful and unforgettable to hang out with you guys together in these two years. I will cherish these beautiful memories and Wish you all the best! Lastly, and most of all, I am indebted to my parents and my brother. Thank you for constantly supporting all my decisions and standing by my side. My love and grateful to you are beyond words. With all my LOVE and APPRECIATION to my friends and my family! Szu-En Hsiao 2nd June, 2017 iii Counter-Urbanization of Fishing Areas in Scotland: Toward a Resilience Concept - Case Studies in Aberdeen City and Peterhead Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................................ iii List of Tables ......................................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ vi 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Fisheries and Aquaculture — with High Market Potential among the Globe ................... 2 1.2. Sustainable Urban Development and Resilience ............................................................... 5 2. Methodology .................................................................................................................................. 8 2.1. Case Selection .................................................................................................................... 9 2.2. Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 10 2.2.1. Secondary Data Collection and Stakeholder Analysis .......................................... 10 2.2.2. Interview Questionnaire Design .......................................................................... 12 2.2.3. Field Work ............................................................................................................ 12 3. Historical Fishery Reviews of Studied Sites .................................................................................. 13 3.1. Aberdeen City, Scotland ................................................................................................... 13 3.2. Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland ............................................................................... 16 4. Literature Review ......................................................................................................................... 18 4.1. Fisheries & Aquaculture ................................................................................................... 18 4.2. Phenomenon of Counter-Urbanization ........................................................................... 23 4.3. Resilience & Sustainability ............................................................................................... 25 4.4. Regional and Local Governance ....................................................................................... 32 5. Scottish Governance of Fishing Industry and Urban Development ............................................. 34 5.1. Institutions and Partnership of Interviewees .................................................................. 34 5.1.1. Interviewees from Public Sectors ........................................................................ 34 5.1.2. Interviewees from Private Sectors working for Public Sectors ............................ 37 5.1.3. Interviewees from Quasi-public partnership ....................................................... 37 5.1.4. Interviewees from Private Sectors ....................................................................... 38 5.2. Developing Plan and Strategies by Public Sectors ........................................................... 40 5.2.1. Regional Economy Strategy .................................................................................. 41 iv Counter-Urbanization of Fishing Areas in Scotland: Toward a Resilience Concept - Case Studies in Aberdeen City and Peterhead 5.2.2. North East Scotland Fish Processing Strategy ...................................................... 42 5.2.3. Towards a Low Carbon Scotland Sustainable Cities ............................................. 43 5.3. Development Plans, Strategies and Actions by Private Sectors or Quasi-Public