11.2.3 Challenges

The City Council, in partnership with key cultural stakeholders, has completed a new Cultural Strategy (2015 – 2021), setting out a shared vision for the city’s future and positioning the City Council as the leader of a new cultural approach in the city. The strategy will be delivered in partnership with key and other cultural stakeholders. The collaborative delivery of the cultural strategy is essential to further strengthening the city’s cultural life.

A key challenge for all competitive cities, including Dublin city, is the ability to continuously attract internationally mobile labour with ‘in-demand’ skills and investment. Dublin city faces competition from other international cities in attracting talented workers and needs to make sure that the cultural offering in Dublin is as good as, or better than, other successful international cities.

Dublin’s city centre is home to the highest profile cultural facilities in the country, including seven of the eight National Cultural Institutions. The historic core of the city is home to major tourist attractions. Protection and enhancement of the built heritage is essential, both for the cultural and economic success of the city.

There are smaller, more discrete areas in the city that are building up as hubs of cultural activity, each with its own distinctive characteristics and reason for being. Efforts should be made to support and expand existing and emerging hubs of artistic energy, innovation and knowledge. The provision of affordable living and working environments for artists, particularly emerging artists, to enable the production of art, remains a challenge.

Despite the vast range and the prestige of cultural facilities and institutions in the city a shortfall remains, both in the city centre and in the outer city. This deficit includes libraries, rehearsal and performance spaces, studio workshops, administrative space etc. Meeting this shortfall is a challenge for the future development and accessibility of cultural life in the city. Dublin city’s main tourist attractions are all located within walking distance of one another within the historic core. A good quality public realm is essential to encourage walking between these attractions and to highlight and celebrate the quality of heritage of the city.

Adding public art into the urban landscape can further enhance the public domain. Public art has the capacity to add greatly to the ‘creative city’. The City Council recognises the value and relevance of public art and will continue to promote its provision.