A seminar by Niamh Moore-Cherry
(University College Dublin)
Wednesday, April 27th 2016, 12.00 | 13.30
Aula Master, DAStU | 5th floor
School of Architecture Urban Planning and Construction Engineering | Politecnico di Milano
As has been well documented, the year 2008 marked the demise of what had been broadly heralded as the ‘Celtic Tiger’ economic miracle as a triple crisis (financial, fiscal and banking) took hold in Ireland. While much has been written about the banking element, the recent crisis was in large part the result of complex inter-relationships between real-estate, financial, planning and banking interests, concentrated particularly in urban settings. Norris and Byrne (2014) argue that one of the fundamental causes of the crisis in Ireland was planning and housing policy. The failures of the property sector, and the inadequacy of government policy in steering it appropriately, are perhaps best illustrated in the phenomenon of unfinished estates (Kitchin et al., 2014). Fox-Rogers and Murphy (2013) argue however that it is not just planning policy but the operation of planning – both formal and informal – that demand more intense scrutiny. This paper examines the operation of planning in Dublin before, during and after the crisis. It highlights two key issues facing the development of the city-region today: derelict space and lack of affordable housing supply. The paper illustrates the poor governance arrangements that underpinned planning in the city before 2008 and considers whether any substantive changes have been made that might impact on addressing the challenges currently faced.
Lidia K.C. Manzo 