Dr. Sarah Rock:

I thank the Chair and members of the committee for inviting Technological University Dublin to contribute today. I am joined by my colleagues: Mr. Dave O’Connor, head of environment and planning at our school; and Dr. Lorraine D’Arcy, senior lecturer.

There are many facets to urban regeneration, some of which were discussed at the first session of the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage on vacancy and dereliction. Today, we would like to discuss the importance of good urban design and transport and mobility to regenerating our villages, towns and cities. Last year Technological University Dublin undertook a pilot evaluative research project in conjunction with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on its Covid mobility and public realm works, focusing on Blackrock village.

A copy of our phase 1 interim findings has been included in our submission. Today, we want to outline briefly some of our key learnings from that study.

Blackrock village was like many towns and villages around the country. It had a once-lively main street that fell into decline. Street space was largely given over to cars, a dual carriageway separated the community from the village and a new indoor shopping mall turned its back on the main street. Like so many places, it had assets and potential but these became diminished.

With Covid, the local business and community network worked with the council to reimagine Blackrock main street and provide for social distancing. Footpaths were expanded, a lane of traffic was removed, some cycling facilities were provided and thoughtful planting and seating were provided as well. The result was more people, fewer cars and a clear endorsement from business and the community. This balance between movement and place is rare within an Irish context. We believe a mix of new and existing elements combined to make this project succeed. These included existing Government policy and legislation that supported the redesign and facilitated quick delivery; a vision within the council from which the Covid response could be rapidly built upon; and an active and fairly cohesive business representative body that wanted change.

However, what was quite new was accessible and speedy Government funding in the form of National Transport Authority-administered active travel funds and a recognition that speed was of the essence. There was leadership and action by the local authority, coupled with a culture of innovation and interdisciplinarity, such as engineers, architects and others, working together in the design and implementation approach. There was an open and collaborative approach to stakeholder engagement and a willingness to listen and adapt the design, without losing the overall project objectives. In addition, there was a recognition of the importance of research and evaluation. Due to of the foresight of the local authority, we now have an Irish evidence base from which to learn and build upon.

If we were to add what additional ingredients -----