IRISH PLANNING INSTITUTE CONFERENCE:DUBLIN IS to be benchmarked against international cities by having its performance checked over a range of indicators from its fostering of the creative economy, to street cleaning and quality of life issues.
The project, to be managed by Dublin City Council's new international affairs and research section, is one of a number of initiatives outlined by Dublin city manager John Tierney yesterday.
Addressing the annual conference of the Irish Planning Institute in Westport, Mr Tierney said Dublin was the only one of the Republic's eight regions which was classed as a "city-region", and as a vital driver of the national economy it needed to measure itself against other city-regions, not other regions on the island.
But the development of cities in Ireland had been neglected by successive governments and it was "ironic" that Ireland had a minister with responsibilities for islands and not for cities, he said.
Mr Tierney also revealed his requirements for the development of high density or high-rise buildings which were, he said, of a "demanding architectural quality" with a "clear strategic benefit" and with no precedent-setting adverse impact on surrounding areas.
A report on maximising the potential of the city is to be the subject of a major conference in Croke Park on April 22nd next.
"We are not talking about creating a Manhattan in Dublin but we are talking about developing a more sustainable city," Mr Tierney said.
He told the planners that a number of elements would ultimately account for the success or otherwise of the city. These included; fostering economic activity; cultural activity; social activity; a sustainable environment; the urban form and public transport.
At the centre of all these were the people themselves and the quality of their lives.
He revealed the council has started to develop a 3-D model of the city and has already begun asking developers to submit 3-D images of their projects with planning applications.
The aim is to eventually have a full 3-D map of the city to which the public may have access and on which the impact of development may be better assessed. The model would indicate social and recreational features as well as cultural amenities.
Possibly the biggest challenge facing Dublin city is transport, according to the manager. He said the number of vehicles in the city rose by 93 per cent between 1990 and 2005. This resulted in a 170 per cent increase in CO2 emissions.
In advance of the Dublin Transport Authority being set up, the council has established a Transport 21 implementation group which includes members of the Railway Procurement Agency; the Dublin Transportation Office; Iarnród Éireann, Dublin Business Association and the Garda. The group meets every six weeks to co-ordinate and phase the development of the city's two proposed metro lines and seven light rail routes. Dublin will need almost a quarter of a million new homes by 2016, and will probably not be as affected by the downturn in the construction industry as other regions, Mr Tierney said.