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Canadian Urbanism Uncovered

SUMMER SHORTS 013: Riding “the Clockwork Orange”

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LISTEN TO TODAY’S SPACING RADIO PODCAST

Sometimes exploring a city means just shutting your eyes and listening. In this soundscape, Spacing producer Mieke Anderson takes you underground into the Glasgow subway system.

Affectionately known as “the Clockwork Orange” because of its orange subway cars and circular route, Glasgow’s underground dates back to 1896 making it the third oldest in the world. Recently, the city was considering shutting down parts of the system if they couldn’t come up with the money for a massive modernization plan (the route itself hasn’t changed in over a century). In April, an upgrade worth £290 million was approved guaranteeing residents and visitors many more years of fun lurching and hurtling round and round the city.

So close your eyes and let us take you for a ride!

Links to stuff from Spacing Radio’s Summer Shorts 013:

Photo by Karoly Lorentey

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2 comments

  1. This is a delightfully immersive field recording, especially w/ headphones. Thank you, Spacing!

  2. Whee! I took the clockwork orange every day to university. The cars are incredibly tiny, and the stations have a very distinctive tarry-eggy smell.

    Toronto’s spacious subway was a revelation: hey, you could stand up straight!