Cittaslow, which is Italian for ’slow city’ is an international network of towns. A Cittaslow town commits to working towards a set of goals (some 60 in all) that aim to improve the quality of life, and needs to pass an assessment before being admitted as a member of the Cittaslow network.

Cittaslow is a way of thinking. It is about caring for your town and the people who live in it or visit it. It is about protecting the environment, about promoting local goods and products, and about avoiding the ’sameness’ that afflicts too many places in the modern world.

Living in, and managing a Cittaslow, requires an attitude of mind that, while open to the opportunities presented by modern approaches to communication, transportation, production and selling, also aims to encourage people to live life at a human scale and pace, respecting and supporting the environment and local traditions, and preserving them for future generations to enjoy.

A small number of UK towns have already been granted Cittaslow status, Perth being one of the most recent additions, and several towns, including Linlithgow, have expressed an interest in achieving Cittaslow status.

There is much more information on the Cittaslow UK website