7.3 - Challenges

The main challenges in protecting, developing and enhancing the city centre and the city’s urban villages are outlined below:

Revitalising and Developing the Resilience of the City Centre and the City’s Urban Centres Post-Covid-19

The Covid-19 Pandemic had an unprecedented and seismic impact on Dublin’s economy with activity in retail, retail services, food and beverage, leisure, tourism and cultural sectors plummeting and businesses closing. A report by the three Regional Assemblies of Ireland – ‘Covid-19 Regional Economic analysis’, 2020, anticipated that Dublin City and suburbs exposure to the pandemic would be the lowest of all urban centres as its economic activities such as finance and ICT are capable of operating remotely. The city and suburbs, however, have the highest number (nationally) of commercial units operating in the sectors worst affected. Revitalising and developing the resilience of the city centre and the city’s urban centres post-Covid-19 is a huge challenge for the city.

The Changing Nature of Retail

The retail sector is undergoing change due to online retailing, technological change and changing consumer behaviour. There are now many more ways to shop (multi-channel) that do not require the shopper to visit an urban centre as shopping can be delivered to the home or work etc. Year-on-year growth in online retailing in Ireland has increased and this trend has accelerated during the pandemic. While large urban centres with attractions complementary to retail are likely to withstand the challenges of online shopping, the city’s smaller suburban centres are more likely to be impacted by these trends.

Competition from M50 Shopping Centres

The regional M50 shopping centres have solidified their position as regional shopping destinations within Dublin’s suburbs, displacing comparison retail focussed shopping trips that were once the exclusive remit of the city centre. Combined, these centres offer retail space on a par with the city centre and they continue to have active plans to expand. For the city centre to remain resilient and competitive it must attract these shoppers back to the city centre and recognise and respond to the appeal of shopping in a high quality car-free environment with a concentration of a range of appealing retail uses, as evidenced in Henry Street and Grafton Street.

Investment in Key Urban Villages

In the suburbs, there are challenges relating to the traditional street, the parade of local shops or older shopping centres that are no longer strongly competitive and have now to compete with the growing presence of convenience supermarkets and on-line retailing. Large scale retail led developments in many suburban centres approved pre the 2008 recession were not realised and retail development has contracted in many of the Key Urban Villages resulting in vacancy. Many of these centres remain underdeveloped and have capacity for consolidation and regeneration. Attracting appropriate uses / retail to these centres remains a challenge.  An opportunity presents itself to facilitate the incubation of indigenous craft, arts and cultural goods and services, food production, local farmers markets and the sale of local produce and other local services that can contribute to the vibrancy and occupancy of the key urban villages’ retail core. 

Retrofitting the Public Realm to Realise Opportunities for Healthy Placemaking

De-cluttering and repurposing the public realm and rebalancing space in favour of pedestrians and cyclists will be required to ensure the city centre and the city’s urban centres support healthy placemaking. Investment in the public realm makes the city centre and Key Urban Villages more attractive and more accessible to all, with improved and widened paths, seating / rest spaces, tree planting and opportunities to linger.

Growing the Night Time Economy

There has been growing recognition of the role the night time sector plays / can play in the economy of cities. The development of a 24 hour city in Dublin City has the potential to draw more people into the city, thereby supporting other city centre uses and supporting job growth and the city’s economy. Tackling the perceived image of an unsafe night environment, however, in certain areas of the city, and issues such as the lack of night time public transport and the potential for conflict with other uses such as residential uses needs to be managed and addressed.