4.5.2 Inner Suburbs and Outer City as Part of the Metropolitan Area

The built-up area of the city is expanding and is projected to expand to its boundaries with development at Clongriffin–Belmayne, Ashtown–Pelletstown, Park West and Cherry Orchard. These large suburban areas must be integrated into the emerging structure of the city, both in relation to the city centre and the metropolitan area as the city extends along the innovation corridors to the north, west and south.

Some of the key district centres (KDCs) also act as gateways to the city, located either along strategic national primary routes or key public transport routes, such as Finglas or the Naas Road lands. These gateway locations create an opportunity to strengthen the city’s visual identity and signal the entrance to the city, and so are ideal locations for high quality landmark buildings, structures and civic spaces.

The overall challenge is to develop the suburbs as building blocks to strengthen the urban structure of the city and comprise:

1. The full range of district centres, e.g. Rathmines, Crumlin, Finglas. These are centres which can provide a strong sense of urban place, are centres for local services and form a basis for sustainable neighbourhoods.

2. The developing areas such as Ballymun, Clongriffin–Belmayne, Ashtown–Pelletstown, Park West, Grangegorman, Phibsborough and Stoneybatter.

3. A strategic green network, comprising river/canal corridors and open/ institutional lands which can contribute to the built and natural landscape of the city.