4.5.8 Making Sustainable Neighbourhoods

The importance of creating good neighbourhoods is imbued throughout the development plan, with regard in particular to residential, community and connectivity perspectives. However, these aspects must be fully integrated with the physical shape of neighbourhoods, which together contribute to the form and structure of a consolidated city.

In addition, while there is much emphasis on promoting the appropriate redevelopment of vacant and brownfield lands in the city, it is equally recognised that there is also a sizeable amount of non-occupancy or under-occupancy of older housing stock and other buildings throughout the city.

The City Council’s aim to physically consolidate the city includes the goal of bringing vacant or under-utilised buildings into use, thereby preventing urban sprawl and optimising the use of scarce urban land, a finite resource.

With regard to the south Georgian core in particular, these matters of vacancy and re-use are key matters which are examined in ‘The Future of the South Georgian Core – Research Findings and Recommendations to Steering Group’ (Planning and Economic Development Department, Dublin City Council, 2013).