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John
Fitzgerald, Dublin City Manager
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Growing
the Population Stopping the Sprawl (Page 3)
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social and affordable arrangements in the recent planning act
are a good solution to the problem of social isolation which
has cost to this city dearly. The cost in human terms will probably
continue for generations. Reversion to the old solution - build
social housing here and private housing there - is no longer
an option. (We have fifteen of the twenty-five National RAPID
areas in Dublin.) The social and affordable mix works well elsewhere;
it is up to us to prove that we can manage it properly. I believe
the traditional role of Local Government as exclusive provider
and manager of social housing is coming to an end. There are
better models, including Housing Associations, Co-operatives
and Partnership arrangements which will become more visible
in future. |
| Institutional
Arrangements |
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have seen extraordinary change over the last decade. Ten years
ago finding a job was one of the most acute problems facing
society. Finding a job as an issue has been replaced by the
difficulties of finding a home and getting from there to work.
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of the pressure we experience has built up over a very short
period. The Dublin Transportation Initiative was set up ten
years ago, the Strategic Planning Guidelines are only two years
old. Government plans for a Greater Dublin Authority are essential
to, at a minimum, bring land-use, planning and transportation
under one umbrella, (a basic requirement which we have never
had.) How this can be achieved at Government Department level
presents other problems which may remain to be addressed by
an incoming government. |
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fact remains that the Dublin City Region now competes in the
premier league of European Cities. We don't compete exclusively
in terms of wealth or size (we are ranked 389th among world
cities in population terms). At the end of the day quality of
life is what matters. Quality of life is not easily measured
- (e.g. we have more "green space" - than most cities; Is this
a positive or a negative?). It is more a measure of how the
city looks and feels and is also about the feeling we have for
the city. Dublin is a desirable place to be (as evidenced by
the numbers who choose now to live here). Given continued progress
on what we are doing it has capacity to be one of the finest
cities in Europe. |
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