Sir, – I was intrigued by David McWilliams’s article about the hollowing out of Dublin city centre and the need for more residents to ensure vibrancy and regeneration (“After 30 years of relative success, is Dublin city going backwards again?”, Weekend, August 10th).
Compare and contrast with Manchester. Fifty years ago the population of city centre ward had dropped to around 500 – mainly shopkeepers living over their properties and factory caretakers, etc. Today it’s 20,000, with apartments developed across brownfield sites. Moving there in 2005, we found the epitome of the 15 minute city with my husband’s workplace, supermarket, department stores cafes, bars, cinema and restaurants all within that scope. Even the Opera House, Concert Hall and Palace Theatre were less than a mile away, and the route was made traffic free by the ability to cover much of that distance along well-maintained and safely lit canal towpaths. Free shuttle buses around the city centre were useful during bad weather.
The only thing they got wrong was not building many three-bedroom apartments which meant a flight to the suburbs by families as soon as kids came along. There wasn’t a single primary school in the ward.
We got old and wanted more space so moved to Donegal in 2014, but David McWilliams is right about what needs to be done in Dublin, and Manchester shows it can be done. – Is mise,
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KENNETH HARPER,
Burtonport,
Co Donegal.