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. Aspects of Recent Economic Growth in Dublin Rapid population and economic growth in Dublin and its environs (known collectively as the Greater Dublin Area) has added pressure to provide new housing, increase services and upgrade transport infrastructure. The Dublin and Mid-East (Kildare, Meath and Wicklow) Regions, which together constitute the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), are currently experiencing rapid population growth in excess of the national rate of growth. Such growth is both a contributory factor to, and a result of greatly increased economic activity in these regions in recent years. The share of national population by the Greater Dublin Area is estimated to have increased from 38.8% in 1996 to 39.5% by 2000. Between 1994 and 2000, 278,000 persons migrated to Ireland, with 43.8% of this group aged between 25 and 44 years of age, the prime age category for family establishment and house purchase. The disproportionate share of economic growth in the GDA has not been met with corresponding housing provision. The GDA accounted for 49% of the growth in the population over 15 years of age, 47% of the increase in total numbers at work and 46% of new private cars registered in Ireland between 1994 and 2000. However, the GDA accounted for only 35.6% of the share in the total number of new dwellings produced during the 1994-2000 period, well below the percentage share for the other three economic criteria. Despite this growth, housing provision falls behind the other three categories substantially. The Greater Dublin Area has experienced 13% growth in population over 15 years of age between 1994 and 2000, compared to a national rate of 10%. Between 1994 and 2000 the region experienced 47% growth in employment, compared to 36.4% for the remainder of Ireland, indicating that the provision of employment in the GDA is disproportionately greater than for the rest of the country. However, the provision of new housing lags considerably behind the other economic criteria. Compared to a growth rate of 7.1% between 1999 and 2000 for Ireland as a whole, the number of new houses completed in the GDA experienced a decline of 6.7%, from 10,035 to 9,405 dwellings completed. The declining affordability of housing in the Greater Dublin Area is forcing house buyers to purchase in peripheral and Outer Leinster locations where house prices are more affordable. Between 1994 and 2000, new house production increased by 192% in the Outer Leinster counties, a rate over four times that of the GDA. The proportion of total national housing output accounted for by the Dublin Region has sharply declined from 29.4% in 1994 to 18.9% in 2000, whilst the proportion accounted for by the Outer Leinster counties has increased from 10.1% to 16% during the corresponding period. The first phase of the GEMACA II project involved the identification and mapping of the Functional Urban Region, which can be broadly defined as the area surrounding a major metropolitan area containing at least 1 million inhabitants and functionally dependant on the central city. Functional Urban Region of Dublin The Functional Urban Region of Dublin (FUR) extends c.45 kilometres from the centre of Dublin city, but is irregular in morphology and extends beyond the average distance along major routes, particularly along the Irish Sea coast (see page 24). Based on data from the 1996 Census of Population, the Functional Urban Region of Dublin has an area of 3,017 square kilometres, a population of 1,304,456 persons, and is comprised of 407 DEDs (District Electoral Divisions). The FUR includes all of the Dublin Region (composed of Dublin County Borough, Fingal, South Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown) and a large portion of the surrounding Mid-East Region (counties Meath, Kildare and Wicklow). The FUR extends into the Border Region in south County Louth at Drogheda. Current trends indicate that the outward growth of Dublin-related development will extend the area of the FUR appreciably by 2002, the date of the next Census. Morphological Urban Region of Dublin The Morphological Urban Region of Dublin (MUR) is defined as the aggregation of DEDs characterised by a population density of greater than seven persons per hectare. The MUR essentially coincides with the contiguous built-up area of Dublin city, extending from the city centre at an average distance of 9 kilometres. Based on the 1996 Census, the population of the Morphological Urban Region of Dublin is 972,536 persons and extends to an area of 333 kmē (see page 25). Economic Core of Dublin The Economic Core is defined as the aggregation of DEDs within which the greatest concentration of employment is located, containing a minimum of 7 employed persons per hectare (see page 26). The Economic Core of Dublin, unlike many of the Continental European Cities in the GEMACA II study, is of a substantially smaller area than the MUR, reflecting the low density and residential function of much of the MUR of Dublin. The Economic Core is concentrated in the inner city and inner suburban areas, the industrial area located adjacent to the Naas Road to the south-west of the city, along the south coast of Dublin Bay towards Dun Laoghaire and northwards towards, and including, Dublin Airport. The Economic Core of Dublin contains 507,924 employed positions, a population of 438,882 persons and an area of 124 kmē, less than 40% of the total area of the Morphological Urban Region. The relevant data are summarised in the table on the following page. more