city marketing

Pauline Byrne

A combination of market, societal, demographic and environmental factors has combined together to create a serious mis-match between the supply and demand of residential accommodation servicing the various market sectors in the Dublin Region. Housing in Dublin, A Strategic Review by the Dublin Local Authorities

The National Spatial Plan for Ireland is currently being formulated. This will make provisions for the realisation of The 2000 National Development Plan at a spatial level throughout Ireland, aiming to achieve a balanced, sustainable form of development for the future of the State. It will dictate how, where and when transport infrastructure, housing, waste management, energy generation, telecommunications infrastructure and more besides will take place in Ireland over the coming twenty year period. In so doing, it will be the blueprint to realise the growth and development potential of the country in the short to medium term. Of most importance, politically, socially and economically, it will define and designate the growth of urban settlements and their role in the urban hierarchy of the State. Thus it will effectively define the housing requirements of these settlements.

Simultaneously and reflecting the provisions of the new Planning and Development Act 2000, each local authority is obliged by statute to develop a Housing Strategy for their area, to determine the quantity of housing needed both social and private to sustain population growth over the period of their Development Plan. Their objective is to achieve a more regulated and balanced supply of housing and help suppress spiralling house prices.

In assessing the quantitative demands of the housing market, the Local Authorities will designate land to meet that demand. In so doing, urban councils are effectively formulating strategies defining the housing typologies, the resultant social mix and therefore the future and potential urban fabric of their areas.

Of these strategies, it is specifically this Housing Strategy which provides Irish cities with a prime opportunity to reshape and refine their urban form, profile and image at a local, national and international level. Dublin, in particular, as the State Capital, can use it to build up one essential element of a competitive profile necessary to establish itself in the European hierarchy of urban locations.

With the internationalisation of the economy and European integration, competition among European cities and urban regions is intensifying and has led to an increasing need for cities to differentiate themselves. City Marketing assesses the significance of the urban fabric and how it increasingly brands the profile or image of the urban area. Applied to Dublin City, the Housing Strategy resulting from Dublin Corporation's assessment, will directly impact on the shape of new areas or city extensions in addition to the regeneration of existing areas.

Two urban characteristics are important in shaping the socio-economic profile of a city : Amenity : broadly defined, it often includes access to a wide range of urban, residential, education, social, recreational and cultural services in addition to an appreciation of the quality of the natural or built environment. Perception of cities : the way cities are valued as places in which to live, work, enjoy leisure or invest makes the way they are viewed of critical significance.

In this new context, the development potential of many cities, and the success of their insertion into the international arena, depends on their capacity to adapt themselves to this changing situation. The growing importance placed on the quality of life and on environmental factors as criteria in economic development serve as locational determinants. In isolating one of the key factors of a competitive, urban profile Housing in relation to Dublin, it is evident that the Capital has failed to achieve a competitive edge over other European urban centres.

Trends of inner city apartment building over the 1990s have consistently dealt with meeting minimum regulatory requirements. In the 1991-1996 period, demographically, the impact of the apartments on the inner city has been significant. As the Urban Renewal Tax Incentives for new building were only qualified by floor area, numerous developments of similar design resulted, responding only to this basic criterion of the incentives rather than providing quality living environments. Consequently, this has significantly impacted the city's physical, social and cultural environment as the predominant profile of the new population was young (18-44 years, 94%), single (55%), and without children (96%). The apartments built, afforded little opportunity to families to take up residence in the city centre thereby establishing a more permanent familial population base, despite Government rhetoric to the contrary.

Fundamental changes in the demographic profile and social preferences of the city's inhabitants are essentially transforming societal and thus urban development in the Capital.

High-quality housing in prime locations meeting the requirements of a whole range of household types is needed in Dublin if it is to be attractive for its existing and potential residents alike. Ireland's rural-urban balance is changing, our demographic profile and household formation is being transformed but our housing supply does not appear to be evolving to meet the needs of the market.

The implications for housing design and urban form require the attention of Local Authorities, in tandem with architects, urban designers and planners to tackle the complexity of future housing provision. Could the lack of diversity in the supply of housing typologies to date mean that there is a lack of analysis of the demand for housing or is it simply a lack of concern on the part of these professionals ?

Pauline Byrne is a marketer and urban planner currently working in Murray � Laoire Architects' Urban Design and Master Planning Unit.