e-city for Dublin liberties

A very grandiose plan, but still one that can go horribly wrong and develope another expensive compound like the IFSC or ghetto like Temple Bar.
http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/11/05/stiireire01017.html

This will never happen because

* the locals will be up in arms about building heights

* the locals will be up in arms about no jobs for them and an influx of non-locals

* the locals

Negative MG, but then again, how can we be positive about these proposals without further information or a change in the mindset of the people.

I agree with MG. This is a great plan with vision but no doubt it will follow the same course and fate as previous plans/developments for the city ending up either never happening or reaching it’s full potential but becoming an insignificant mess.

But it was in the Sunday Times it must be true.

(Please note this is to be read in an ironic tone of voice)

Rory W’s irony is misplaced. The Irish government confirmed our exclusive story to all of Monday’s newspapers. We also broke the story of Kevin Roche’s replacement on Spencer Dock. And Shane O’Toole writes great features on architecture for our Culture section. Anyway irony never works in print…

The Roche story was also in the Business Post, and I think it goes to print in Belfast on a friday.

“…allowing scientists and businessmen to mingle and create”: God help us! Or “jaysus what’s that all about?” Locating this project in the Liberties will mean nothing to the locals, it just makes the developers look good: integration; social inclusion etc., while they benefit from tax breaks. The IFSC was suppose to rejuvenate the north inner city ~ what happened to the public park they promised us would be part of the IFSC?

Dont get me wrong I love the Sunday Times, it is the only sunday paper I buy. Yes it’s great to have Shane O’Toole writing about architecture. Its just a lot of the articles are written in a too good to be true tone. You know the “cure for baldness found in drinking Guinness to excess” type of article

I still looking for Flash Gordon and his spaceship in that picture…
The sci-fi cartoon discrict 😉

How about the government setting up some kind of community IT training courses and workshops in the local area that would be accessable to all, and within walkiing distance of those residents beside the development area?
They could be trained to get the ‘European driver licence’ for basic computing skills. This would go some way toward helping meet the ‘skills shortage’, would lend social equity (i.e. give the locals a shot at the ‘Celtic Tiger’) and would be sustainable – in that it could help make it common again for employees to walk or cycle to work.

If the goverment did this it could have the locals basicly trained by the time the companies come on stream.

It would make the scheme more viable and less likely that the ‘locals’ will be ‘forced (priced) out’ and the area being temporarily ‘yuppyfied/gentrified’.

Finally, community involvement should make it less likely for there being objections (to building heights – ‘we can’t get jobs there!’ etc.etc.)

Good idea…..’Education’ and ‘Involvement’ are indeed vital for sustainting local communities within our changing city. A lot of inner city communities after years of unemployment, neglect and decay now feel somewhat under siege and are suspicious of the new developments and the ‘outsiders’ they bring, hence the objections to almost every proposal, absolute mindless vandalism and attacks on foreign nationals. Education and involvement are vital.

Has anybody noticed the amount of talk emanating from government and Corporation in relation to the Liberties area referring to it as abandoned, derelict, etc.

Reading this stuff one would imagine the area to be a wasteland.

I can’t imagine anything less true. Look at the desirability and cost of even the meanest cottage in the area.

I suspect that most of the verbage from the Corpo and Bertie have more to do with maximising the value of the Guiness lands (Guinnesses are planning on moving manufacturing and industrial uses out of the James Gate area).

Something stinks about this proposal!!!!

JK

PS:

Re: ‘Locals’ most of the decanting of locals took place over the last ten years (bar the few corporation blocks remaining)I don’t know anybody living in the old centre of the Liberties in cottages, houses or apartments who did’nt move in during the last five years.

A population census of the area would make quite interesting reading.

I do like the mullet though.

I really hope this project comes together but for the right reasons.

This could be a disaster if the guy on the street is not allowed to partake in the possible benefits that this and future such developments will bring.

Ireland could just become a place for well-educated technologists. A place for the privileged few to come and do their stuff while the ordinary person watches as these few race ever forward increasing the gap between the haves and have nots. This applies not only in terms of wealth but also education.

Success will be measured by two things:

1. How the government manage to allow the less well off to benefit from this through education and future developments.

2. How such developments can be replicated not just in Dublin but in the regions.