7.1 - Introduction

Dublin city’s urban centres comprise the city centre, which is the prime retail destination for the country, surrounded by a network of inner and outer suburban centres of different scales. These centres offer a range of opportunities for retail, community and social interaction, services, jobs / business development, amenities and cultural and artistic engagement.

Dublin City Centre is where people come to experience the city’s vibrant street scenes, public spaces and a varied cultural and leisure offer and where they come to shop, work, study, live, socialise and spend time. These activities are facilitated by an increasingly integrated public transport system serving the city centre and progressively improving active travel options.

The city’s Key Urban Villages, urban villages and neighbourhood centres are the heart of their local communities; they provide a focus for local activities, allow sustainable urban living and allow people access to local shops, services, community services, information, healthcare, amenities and to work locally. These centres have high levels of access to quality public transport and bus services.

Changes in economic conditions, technological advances, retail trends, changing consumer behaviours and the impacts and changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic have and continue to result in new patterns of work and lifestyles. As people can now shop and work and be entertained from home they are using the urban centres differently. In the city centre, for example, a broader leisure experience of shopping, eating, relaxing, working, browsing and culture draws visitors into the city centre; they come for a day or evening out, looking to eat, drink and visit the cinema etc., as well as shop.

In order to evolve and adapt to these trends, the city centre and the city’s other urban centres will need to offer wide ranging appeal to draw and attract visitors. This includes leisure uses, residential uses, office and community uses as well as retail uses. To sustain and grow urban centres in the longer term, there will also need to be greater opportunities for people to live and spend time in these centres. In order to achieve thriving, inclusive and healthy sustainable urban centres, these centres need to be transformed into attractive and vibrant urban areas offering more space and comfort for pedestrians, a high quality public realm, amenities, active travel opportunities and opportunities for social / community interaction, cultural events and urban greening.