Ben was privileged to meet Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X of Yogyakarta, the Governor of Yogyakarta Special Region, to give him and his wife, the Mayor and members of the Yogyakarta government a tour of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

Yogyakarta, or ‘Jogja’, has a very similar main street, being a mile long between two volcanoes.  The visitors came to Edinburgh to see how development is monitored and how Edinburgh balances its heritage with economic change and pressures.

The group met with the Cockburn Association to hear about how the Edinburgh Civic Trust engages with the public to maintain the debate between citizens and planning.  They also met with Edinburgh World Heritage Trust to hear about what the World Heritage Status means to the City.

We hope our visitors found the tour exciting and helpful, despite a bitter east wind!