Dublinspirations

Though there are a great many mature trees already along the northern quays at least.
It’s an interesting idea to extend the inner pavement alright, but is there demand for it? On Eden Quay yes, but moving westwards fewer and fewer people use it – at the end of the day everyone wants to walk along the river where possible. Unless they’ve a destination on the inner quay, and let’s face it there’s very few of them, people will migrate towards the water.

From an architectural/aesthethic perspective it’d be more desirable to develop the river side with regular planting and paving – remembering that the Boardalk only comprises a section of one side of the Liffey. As pleasant an amenity the Boardwalk is, I wouldn’t want its localised presence to spoil the chances of developing the existing quays for the majority of the city. As such, if this means duplicating the role of the Boardwalk where it exists on the other side of its quay wall, then maybe this should be done.

To be honest I’m not sure – just a bit irritated at the Boardwalk pulling people out of the city when the quays could be developed in the longer term; it just stifles that notion really, pushing it way down the line. The Boardwalk is ssentially a temporary measure, chopping the foliage off the weed but leaving the root in the ground to be dealt with another day. A practical and on the whole probably good solution to the city’s current needs, but it shouldn’t be used as an excuse to leave the quays as giant car parks indefinitely. Burgh, Aston and Wellington Quays in particular have great riverside potential

On a vaguely related topic, does anyone know where this water is coming from pouring out from Bachelor’s Walk?

It can’t be a storm as it hasn’t rained in weeks, and there’s no underground streams round here – I think…

Yes I would also agree that the redevelopment of the Quays should consider the whole length. Its important in terms of enhancing the city west of the Four Courts and complementsing areas like Smithfield and Collins Baracks and Soho. Its also necessary to improve the impression people get as they enter the city centre.

I think the benefits of the Port Tunnel have been oversold in this regard though. As mentioned most of the traffic on the quays is cars. But at least removing the trucks allows for greater use of the footpaths whcih are generally unpleasant spaces at the moment as trucks and buses create so much dirt. As the residents of the Bookend Building how they will feel about ahving windows they can see through.

It would be interesting to have some idea of Dick Gleeson’s thoughts for the Liffey.

€750m Dublin Port Tunnel opened

20 December 2006 11:25
The Dublin Port Tunnel was officially opened by Bertie Ahern and Dublin’s Lord Mayor Vincent Jackson. The first truck went through the tunnel shortly after 10.50am.

The tunnel, which is 4.5km long, has taken over five years to build. It is designed to reduce the number of heavy goods vehicles using the streets of central Dublin.

The tunnel will allow a toll-free journey for trucks and buses between the port and the MI motorway at the Coolock interchange, in less than eight minutes.

It is estimated that, initially, some 6,000 such vehicles will use the tunnel every day.

Although the project is behind schedule and over budget, the National Roads Authority and Dublin City Council are hoping that the tunnel improves the traffic situation in the city centre in the coming weeks.

The Irish Road Haulage Association claims that congestion on the M50 motorway will increase as a result.
The tunnel will not be open to cars until the New Year.

It will be interesting to see the impacts on the City Quays of this much needed investment and just how much scope there is to further humanise this stretch of river.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/motors/2009/0902/1224253656950.html

@Devin wrote:

It includes graphic visions of how the Quays could look if afforested and how the Phoenix Park could comprehend outdoor swimming facilities and even a beach, along the lines of the Paris Beach project.

Dublinspirations suggests the need for a strategy to regulate and minimise the profusion of visual clutter that has degraded many streets and spaces.

It apears the Parisians have taken the beach idea a little further

French farmers turn Champs Elysees green

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0523/paris.html
Sunday, 23 May 2010 21:39
The Champs Elysees was turned into a huge farm today with plots of plants, trees and flowers laid out on Paris’ most famous avenue to focus attention on France’s crisis-hit agriculture sector.

Dubbed Nature Capital, the event is expected to draw two million people over the next two days and is organised by the Young Farmers association and the French forest industry.

Over a stretch of 1.2km from the Arc de Triomphe down halfway to the Place de la Concorde, the street is dotted with more than 100 varieties of grain, fruit and vegetables.

AdvertisementThere are also cows, pigs, goats and lambs but in small numbers with a view to showcasing some of the famous breeds such as the enormously fat black-bottomed Limousin pigs, prized for their meat quality.

‘We are not there to complain about our situation, but rather to show off our work,’ said William Villeneuve, head of the young farmers’ association.

He hopes strollers on the Champs Elysees will think about ‘what is on their plates and become more active consumers’.

French farmers are already a diminishing breed but one of the worst crises in decades has further unsettled the sector, fuelled by falling prices and rocketing production costs.

President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government has offered an aid plan for French farmers with some €1.8bn in loans and €650m in other support payments.

Last month, hundreds of farmers rode into Paris on their tractors, bringing their worries about the future of farming to the capital of Europe’s agricultural powerhouse.

Mr Sarkozy has in past months made several trips to rural France, visiting farms and trying to ease the anger of producers who say they are no longer making ends meet.
every
About 200 trucks rolled onto the Champs Elysees late last night to unload the trees, plants and topsoil and part of the avenue has been closed to traffic.

Nature Capital was designed by Gad Weil, an outdoor events planner who 20 years ago organised a similar happening that turned the Champs Elysees into a giant wheat field.

Any thoughts on if a similar ‘event hosting’ of out of the box projects would be an attractive proposition for Dublin?

@KerryBog2 wrote:

Just noticed the above. There is something in the back of my mind about those shops with basements in Henry & Mary Streets all having sumps and pumps to cater for the water soakage that is particularly noticable after high tides……..
K.

Yep, this is true in the case of the Supermac’s building in O’Connell St.
As an employee there many moons ago I remember those sumps and pumps in the basement working overtime as the basement was prone to flooding.