Sustainable travel, new urban initiatives and learning from past mistakes were all central themes of an interesting and extremely well-attended IPI Young Planners Network launch event entitled ‘Planning for Economic Recovery’ on 6th October last. Hosted in the salubrious Convention Centre Dublin, high-profile speakers on the night included Andrew Montague, Lord Mayor of Dublin; Frank McDonald, Environment Editor of ‘The Irish Times’; and, Ciaran Cuffe, former Minister of State for Planning and Climate Change. Each presentation was diverse and informative, and culminated in a panel discussion with questions from the audience.
Following a brief welcome and introduction from Brendan Allen, President of the Irish Planning Institute, the Lord Mayor of Dublin spoke of the importance of making our urban centres attractive, the organisation of space and learning from the challenges of urban decay in recent decades. The issues and challenges faced by the ‘rates system’ in Ireland reflected the diversity of considerations in urban planning, while the opportunity represented by the houses of Georgian Dublin was also discussed. The importance of access to services and facilities, permeability throughout urban areas and the promotion of cycling (such as the hugely successful DublinBikes scheme) gave all attendees plenty of food for thought.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin was followed by Frank McDonald, who spoke of the imperative of avoiding past mistakes and the egregious planning errors which totally ignore principles of sustainable development. Controversial schemes such as the Casino/Leisure Development at Two-Mile Borris in Co. Offaly, the proposed National Children’s Hospital at the Mater site in Dublin (a Strategic Infrastructure Development) and roads proposals at Ennistymon, Co. Clare were all used as case study examples. Mr. McDonald spoke of the need to rebalance revenue in Dublin and elsewhere to facilitate worthy schemes rather than those which destroy their environs.
Ciaran Cuffe completed the terrific line-up, with a clever collection of ’10 things a young planner should know’. Mr. Cuffe spoke briefly under strands such as the importance of a directly elected Mayor (Power to the People), the inclusion of children in the planning process, the opportunities for fairness and synergies through NAMA activities, and the value of high density development (and not necessarily high rise), interweaving international examples throughout.
The event closed with a panel discussion covering numerous topics, from Core Strategies to the Smart Economy, from the Port Tunnel to what planning can achieve…and everything in between! A tour of the Convention Centre Dublin followed by a social tipple brought an end to a very successful and well organised event. Roll on YPN’s next event on 4th November: a Skills, Training and Career Guidance Seminar (see www.ypn.ie for more details on this FREE event).
Stephen Purcell is a Committee Member of the IPI Young Planners Network. Stephen is an Associate with Downey Hynes Partnership.
