Dublin Public Realm Strategy

I don’t know if this is a good thing but “The work done on the project was recorded so that it will be the basis for a manual on working with historic paving in Dublin City.”

http://www.dublincityarchitects.ie/?p=496#more-496

Rather than bring the cobbles and sense of the older space into Dame street to draw people in they just seem to have created more of a boxed wall of separation IMO. Pretty much how they ruined the square beside City Hall as well, which is now just a dead space for bikes and ‘healers’.

The final paving is very well laid, although perhaps overkills has been employed in the case of the setts. The art of cobbling has died it seems

2 regulatory signs, 3 flagpoles and a post box dumped right in the middle of it all.

What is it with the need for clutter in this city? I despair.

The Public Realm Strategy – Your City Your Space has now been adopted by Dublin City Council.

http://www.dublincity.ie/Planning/Documents/YDYVPublicRealmFinal.pdf

The various projects contained within the Public Realm Strategy that we can apparently expect to see undertaken over the next 2 years:

Grafton Street Quarter Public Realm Plan (South East Area)
This is the regeneration project proposed for the Grafton Street Quarter. The status of the area
requires a high standard of design and integration with the historic fabric of the city. The design work when complete will guide the section of the Design Manual relevant to the Civic Spine and character areas of the city (part of Action 3).

Trinity to IMMA East-West Route (South Central Area, Traffic)
This project ties together a number of projects at various stages so as to maximise value to the city and improve this key route. Projects already under way include Castle [shouldn’t this read Palace?] Street public realm works, Thomas Street QBC, Fáilte Ireland public realm funding. There are potential partnerships with the Digital Hub and NCAD.

http://www.dubline.ie

Liffey Corridor Project (Planning)
A research project to apply innovative urban design and landscape design to the Liffey Quays. It is
intended that the outputs of this project will inform a proposed Local Area Plan.

Mountjoy Square Park and Environs Regeneration (Parks and Central Area Office)
Development of a plan to guide the long-term regeneration of Mountjoy Square Park that is sensitive to its Georgian background.

North East Inner City Quadrant (Central Area Office)
This project pilots design and management approaches to improve quality of everyday life and
to identify design opportunities that may reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in an inner urban
residential area. The area of Parnell Street between O’Connell Street and Gardiner Street should be the focus of a sustained examination and assessment – in conjunction with local businesses – with a view to producing a set of proposals to enhance and improve the public realm at this location.

Grangegorman – Connections with the City (Engineering)
A project to define the strategic connections necessary to integrate the Grangegorman
redevelopment into the surrounding districts and the city centre. It includes key public realm connections at Broadstone, Smithfield and Prussia Street as well as within the site.

Aungier Street Historic Street Regeneration Pilot (City Architects and the South East Area Office)
A pilot multi-disciplinary project to develop a conservation led approach to the regeneration of
Aungier Street, a C17th historic core street, thus improving the quality of experience for residents, visitors and businesses.

Public realm information management project (Roads, IS Section, Planning)
A Project to review and develop work processes and information systems to provide efficiency and effectiveness in utility opening and reinstatement works in the public realm. Develop a web consultation tool to better engage with the public.

Dereliction Project (Planning, City Architects)
This pilot project will focus on the route of the Luas red line, from O’Connell St to Collins Barracks which has high levels of dereliction, vacancy, buildings in need of maintenance and development sites. The Project will work in collaboration with stakeholders, owners, Area Management and all Departments of Dublin City Council setting standards of maintenance, lighting, cleanliness and appearance with a view to improving the overall public realm.

Design Manual for working with Historic Public Realm (Roads, Heritage Office)
The first step is the production of the Design Manual (Action 4), which will specify materials and
workmanship when carrying out works-in areas with historic street surfaces. This will build on the research in the 2009 Historic Street Surfaces study and develop it into a working manual.

Merrion Square Tearooms (Parks Dept)
Provision of Café/Tearooms, interpretive space and public toilets within the Park.

Street Charter Pilot Initiative (Planning Dept and South Central Area Office)
This pilot initiative will apply to Thomas Street Dublin 8. The key objective will be to collaborate with all interest groups in defining the role, vision for an area or street, gain a consensus on issues, and work pro-actively together to improve all aspects of the urban environment.

http://issuu.com/dctrust/docs/thomas_street_study_master

I have been getting slightly hot and bothered under the collar today about….

Being installed today on Andrew Street. The matter was raised with Dublin City Council who have told me that they are investigating the reasons for the works. I also threw in Dublin City BID, Failte Ireland and Pivot Dublin for good measure. Failte Ireland were today hosting a conference discussing how to unlock further potential of tourism to Dublin.

This is dreadful, such an eyesore and also makes the footpath narrower as the bollards are an obstruction to pedestrians especially with buggies. People are more likely to step on the road now that these bollards are in place.
With this, the latest intervention on Clarendon street and the drastic so called traffic calming measure at Dublin Castle one has to wonder seriously about the credibility of Dublin City Council to deliver quality streetscapes worthy of the elegant streets of Georgian Dublin.Its seems like DCC is one of the major contributors to the destruction and vandalism of Dublin along with the litterers and graffiti.Seriously heads should roll for some of the work that has been carried out in the city in recent years.Depressing.

exene1: I think the whole point of that study is that it found a lovely dusty corner of a shelf out of sigh and out of mind.

Most of the kerb stones were kept and retained in this instance. I have an email to Public Realm team about loss elsewhere that is waiting a reply. However retaining lovely historic features is pointless if this is the type of follow up.

I spent the weekend listening to a variety of people with varying degrees of interest in the built environment sharing their WTF reaction with me.

A clever montage of Good vs Bad images trying to get the message out as to what constitutes good design. From the chappies behind XXI Century Liffey

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.533813023338225.1073741826.454972471222281&type=1