Dublin: Economic Growth and Competitiveness in the Functional Urban Region by Dr. Brendan Williams Lecturer in Urban Economics and Faculty Research Fellow Faculty of the Built Environment, Dublin Institute of Technology Bolton St. Physical agglomeration of cities and economic corridors As urban settlements develop and expand in a peripheral fashion, many cities and towns in close physical proximity have merged together, forming a continuous zone of built-up area. Planning policies have been developed by these metropolitan regions to mitigate the negative effects of agglomeration and to preserve open space. The Rhine-Ruhr and Randstad polycentric conurbations are prime examples of this phenomenon in the European Union. Alternatively, two adjacent cities can heavily influence the region between them. Typically, most economic development occurs along the main transportation axis linking the urban areas, with each city acting as a "pole of growth" at either end. This type of development is known as an Economic Corridor, and the Brussels-Antwerp corridor in Belgium serves as a good example. The Dublin to Belfast corridor has potential for this pattern of development, particularly in the light of positive political changes and the upgrading of transport infrastructure. Peripheral expansion and urban sprawl Development of cities usually takes the form of outward expansion of the built-up area. During this process, adjacent towns and villages are subsumed by suburban development, often with negative consequences in terms of sustainability. New infrastructure needs to be constantly provided to service peripheral expansion, and scarce land resources are used, often in a wasteful fashion, known popularly in the English dictum as urban sprawl. Peripheral expansion of urban areas is often characterised by: á Suburbanisation of residential functions, usually resulting in low-rise, low-density housing development. This form of development is highly wasteful of land resources and causes problems in terms of traffic congestion due to commuting. á Decentralisation of commercial activity. During the past four decades, commercial activity has decentralised outwards from the traditional central business district of cities to suburban locations. This trend has been most recently exemplified by the decentralisation of offices to suburban business parks, and has implications for transportation systems. á Dispersal of population to the hinterland of metropolitan regions. This activity results in the rapid development of towns and villages at ever further distances from major cities. The net result of this trend is unsustainable commuting patterns and transportation difficulties. The negative effects of peri-urban development require an integrated planning approach, and the related INTERREG IIC Metropolitan Fringe Areas project is currently investigating the problems of uncontrolled urbanisation and is evaluating the practices and innovative proposals to tackle such problems. The Greater Dublin Area has experienced particular problems in this regard in recent years. It is recognised that metropolitan areas play a critical role in the economy of any given nation through their action as engines of growth by stimulating economic activity and dispersing the benefits of such activity through the hierarchy of lesser urban centres located within each country. In a wider context, the economic development of the European Union as a whole is directly linked to the relative competitive strength of its major urban zones. Despite the central position major urban regions enjoy within their respective economies, a number of significant development problems have emerged as a corollary of economic development. These problems are manifold and interlinked, and include: á Congestion (traffic, population, land use) á Rapid peripheral expansion (urban sprawl) á Increased levels of pollution and energy usage á Increased land and property prices - reduced housing affordability In addition to problems generated from economic growth, the uneven distribution of wealth and resources characterised by most major cities is expressed through: á Socio-economic segregation of urban areas á Social and economic exclusion of marginal population groups á Physical decay of impoverished areas, particularly inner cities and defunct industrial zones In order to properly identify the various trends and forces acting on metropolitan areas, the GEMACA II project has identified the principal issues affecting major cities. This has required the collection and subsequent analysis of comprehensive data sets of factors, trends and characteristics associated with major urban areas. more