Hmmm interesting. I've never been to Edinborough, but I have been to several cities in and around Germany including Progue and Berlin - two pretty amazing cities in their own right. I'd probably include in the list of real life cities of inspiration Hong Kong as well, if not for it's geography then its density. New York city though maybe the most inspirational for myself though. I'd wanted to live there since a child and now I do. It's always interesting to me how, because the place everyone wants to live is so small (Manhattan Island) it caused the buildings there to be exceptionally large, but then just across the rivers (to New Jersey and Brooklyn/Queens) the cities sprawls out.

In terms of fantasy cities, ill just link to two and let them speak for themselves.

-Erengrad
-Freeport