Scotland's capital city centre has two distinct and separate characters.

The "Old town" evolved mainly from Roman times and over centuries, stretching from the elevated castle, down the "Royal Mile" to the Palace of Holyrood House. It was originally encircled by defensive walls and the space became crowded as more and more people came to live there.

There was no space left to build outwards due to the defensive walls, so instead they built upwards to a considerable degree producing many tall buildings that were in effect early skyscrapers and most still stand to this day.

The overcrowding became unacceptable and as the need for defence reduced by the second half of the 1700's a "New Town" was built to the north of the old buildings and is considered a classic example of Georgian Architecture. It is a more open space and reflects the prosperity of the time.