[article] Dublin is cited as worst-case scenario of sprawl

Navan Junction · 04-10-2006 8:36am #1

Frank McDonald, Environment Editor, in Copenhagen
Irish Times, 04/10/2006

Dublin's sprawl is being used by the European Environment Agency (EEA) as a "worst-case scenario" of urban planning so that newer EU member states such as Poland might avoid making the same mistakes.

In a major report to be published next month, the Copenhagen-based agency highlights Dublin, Madrid and Istanbul as case studies to show what can happen when development is allowed to run out of control, according to its main author, Ronan Uhel.

Mr Uhel, who heads the EEA's spatial analysis unit, said Ireland was "very much on the map in relation to urban sprawl - not just in Dublin, but also around towns and villages throughout the country" as a result of "extremely passive" planning policies.

"When we got the first results, we were absolutely surprised. We couldn't believe what we saw on the maps, because they showed that sprawl was so extensive in a country where the geography is not designed for such a thing."

Although sprawl was happening all over Europe, Dublin's case was particularly acute. "We're using it as an illustrative case for cities in eastern Europe to show what can happen if you let the money flow without having a vision of balanced development."

With Poland and the other new EU member states receiving "massive support" from the EU for new motorways and other road schemes, Mr Uhel said they "need to learn from this kind of experience and understand why such developments can occur".

The report would show that new roads "attract urban sprawl, not just around big cities but in the countryside too".

In the 1990s alone, he pointed out, sprawl in Europe had consumed a land area equivalent to three times the size of Luxembourg. "Nobody is addressing this issue. There is no vision at European level."

One of the main purposes of the report was to "say to our neighbours [ in central and eastern Europe] not to make the same mistakes" and instead, to follow the example of cities such as Munich, which had contained its growth within strict limits.

"We want to show what kind of options a city has during a period of positive development - either you control it or you let it go. In that respect, Dublin and Madrid are very much alike, because they let the market decide, so we're using this as a warning."

Referring to the proliferation of housing in rural areas, Mr Uhel said farmers were "making huge income from selling sites, much more than they would make if they worked the rest of their lives" and this had "huge implications for the countryside".

Three-quarters of all Europeans now live in urban areas and this is expected to rise to 90 per cent by 2020 based on current trends, according to the EEA.

© The Irish Times

luckat · 04-10-2006 8:42am

Yup. If we had a subway system in the central five miles, there would be a big incentive to build near to it, and to build systematically.

Archeron · 04-10-2006 9:02am

If we constructed quality high rise residential and commercial developments in designated city centre locations without the NIMBY brigade nay saying every proposal, we'd also be a lot better off. I know its happening a little bit now, of course with massive outcries from all communities, but that makes me think of horses bolting and being tardy closing gates.

spacetweek · 04-10-2006 6:29pm

While all this is true, it's not all doom and gloom. If you look at Australia you'll see cities which have far worse urban sprawl than Dublin yet public transport is better than Dublin. It shows that it is possible to have a functioning transport system in a sprawling city. So Dublin could be "fixed" in future, if we wanted.

What worries me is that we seem to be implementing transport solutions in Dublin so slowly that new development is maxing everything out straight away. Even when everything in T21 is built, there will be lots, lots more to do. It's a long term problem.

DerekP11 · 04-10-2006 11:16pm

The "sprawl" didn't just happen, when the Celtic Tiger came around. It started in the late 1930s, with the building of Drimnagh, Cabra, Crumlin etc. This "social housing" policy continued en masse in the late 70s early 80s with the development of Blanch, Clondalkin and Tallaght. In tandem, private developers follwed suit with terrace with garden and then semi- D with large corner sites and gardens. In fact the original Dublin County Council applied the semi-D solution to new developments in the mid 80s.

No thinking, whatsoever, was given to, how we could actually serve these schemes with proper public transport and it wasn't. Just takle a look at how many "gardens" in Drimnagh, Crumlin and Cabra, have been converted to "driveways".

Slice · 05-10-2006 9:01am

Irrespective of what happened with Tallaght, Clondalkin etc. the problem now is that the current greenbelt around Dublin doesn't appear to be respected, especially by neighbouring local authorities. So it looks like the sprawl will continue. We can talk about expanding public transport services to new developments but consolidating transport services within the current city doesn't seem to be a priority, it's partly the reason why Luas lines are being built further out and suburban rail is being improved, while at the same time Dublin bus is being starved of additional capacity. It's going to encourage further sprawl because the incentive to live in one part of the city and commute to another would not result in any time savings compared to living in the greater Dublin region where property and cost of living are be cheaper.

To give an example I remember for a brief time I used to commute from Dundalk to Dun Laoghaire and it took about one and a half hours - I was then offered somewhere to stay in Tallaght but the time I saved from this on my commute was negligible if nothing at all even though the Tallaght is alot closer to Dun Laoghaire than Dundalk.

This article in today's Irish Times may also be relevant;
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2006/1005/1158591393576.html

Metrobest · 06-10-2006 1:47pm

spacetweek wrote:

While all this is true, it's not all doom and gloom. If you look at Australia you'll see cities which have far worse urban sprawl than Dublin yet public transport is better than Dublin. It shows that it is possible to have a functioning transport system in a sprawling city. So Dublin could be "fixed" in future, if we wanted.

What worries me is that we seem to be implementing transport solutions in Dublin so slowly that new development is maxing everything out straight away. Even when everything in T21 is built, there will be lots, lots more to do. It's a long term problem.

I love the way Frank McDonald seizes, vulture-like, upon any piece of doom and gloom, be it a sacred tuft of grass on a rural hill or a Canadian researcher who thinks Dublin's traffic is like Mexico City's.

Frankly, it's not as bad as he makes out. Fact is, the urban sprawl of Sydney is worse than Dublin. Joining this club of planning disasters are all the other Australian cities, New Zealand cities, most US cities and many British Cities. Maybe bad planning is just a feature of the english-speaking world? We can't lay all the blame at the feet of Bertie and his pals.

Dublin is not alone in being badly planned. Where is it unique, is the lack - even now - of a proper strategy to consolidate existing urban areas.

While there's some effort to preserve urban inner Sydney, go beyond a 5KM radius of this 4Million+ city, and you're into Kath and Kim-style suburbs, laid out in mazes where you could drive for hours looking for your own house amongst a thousand clones.

The Australians have abandonded the hypocrasy of pretending they care about proper urban planning. Most people would have to look up the word "heritage" in a dictonary. PM John Howard recently announced that "Australians have shown a clear preference towards owning their own property on a quarter acre block of land, so we have to have planning policies to cater to that demand."

The Australian cities, however badly planned they may be, still have a level of infrastructure that Dublin can only be jealous of, given how tragic Dublin's still is.

Sydney's CityRail network shows how it is possible to have a fairly decent rail network for outer city suburbs. The 14-line system is said to be one of the most complex in the world. It generally runs on time. CityRail has been under fire for years now from furious commuters, so it has had to up its game. It is a vastly superior company to Irish Rail.

Sydney Buses have what must be the world's friendliest drivers; despite the woeful Sydney traffic, they are able to display exact departure times for every stop on every line, so you don't have to wait ages for a bus that never comes. This blows a ozone-sized hole in Dublin Bus's whinge that you can't run buses on time in a congested city. Sydney Buses prove you can.

Bondi Junction bus/rail interchange, as it's called, is a shining example of what can be done in a suburban area. From the rail platforms esacalators take you up into a the bus station with comfy seats and a multitude of bus routes going here, there and everywhere. The buses leave on time. It's wonderful.

However, I must point out where Dublin has the upper hand. Trams. Sydney has a tram line but it's expensive to ride and it takes a poor route.

Happy Bertie · 06-10-2006 2:35pm

Having lived 8 years in downtown Chicago and 5 years in the Chicago suburbs (35 miles from downtown) I can express how much more pleasant it is to live in the suburbs. I can go whereever I want to go when I want and not have to wait for a bus. There is available and free parking wherever I go in the suburbs. In the city you get soar feet and rashes from walking everywhere. And who likes standing for 20 minutes waiting for a bus. In the suburbs I can go for my daily jog safely on bike paths. I know urban sprawl has some costs (mainly increased transport and infrastructure costs) But also somethings cost less, like housing, groceries and almost everything less. (I could go on) But I like many others feel the benefits far outweigh the costs, costs which often are less anyway.
I think it's nice everytime I fly into Dublin airports (less than 7 miles from the center) that you can see fields of sheep and cows right beside the runways. What is really wrong with this type of "urban sprawl" (open areas between dense population centers). Dublin's suburbs has far higher population density than Chicago's suburbs. Most homes in Chicago's suburbs are single family (detached) with a 1/4 acre lot (garden). In Dublin many would be semi-detached with a smaller garden. I will say one thing Dublin is lacking is a large network of 45mph 2 lanes each way local roads (4 lanes total) with synchronized traffic lights. Chicagoland must have over a 1500 miles of these roads. These roads are used for most trips less than 10 miles without having to go on the expressways.

I will say when I fly into Dublin it looks pretty small compared to most American cities, so I can't understand why it's being used as an example of urban sprawl for Poland planning authorities.

Slice · 06-10-2006 2:45pm

I think the points made in the report were made in a European context.

Happy Bertie · 06-10-2006 3:06pm

Slice wrote:

I think the points made in the report were made in a European context.

So! Quality of life is quality of life, no matter where you are in the world. Europe (Ireland) could learn a lot from the US both from their achievements and mistakes.
I know most people in Ireland secretly aspire to the American way of living but dare they publicly say that. From my own perspective living 22 years in Ireland and 14 years in the US I am delighted to see Ireland performing so wonderfully economically. So many of the American ways (good and bad) have been semi-adopted - Low taxes, ease of setting up a business, motorways, digital economy, shopping malls, SUVs, larger houses, unleaded petrol, even the Irish accent has changed for God's sake over the last 15 years.

Slice · 06-10-2006 3:36pm

I didn't say anything about the merits of American societal values over European values and I don't see how it's relevant.

The report is about urban planning, and American or Australian methods of urban planning have no precedent in Ireland whereas European approaches do. I think the report recognises this.

Metrobest · 06-10-2006 4:34pm

Slice, not everything Europe does is correct. We don't have to follow Europe like a blind sheep. The success of the Irish economy is rooted in, as Happy Bertie said, American ways. Australian, too, I might add.

The Irish Left is always keen to cite the Australian example in things like road safety (there's actually very little "enforcement" here), but when it doesn't suit the argument, in things such as urban planning, Dublin suddenly becomes the "worst" example of traffic and urban planning - anywhere.

Australians and New Zealanders constantly are rated as having the best quality of life in the world. And Ireland comes near the top, as well. So sprawl doesn't neccesarily have negative social consequences. The question is managing it, containing it, servicing it. These are the questions Dublin has to consider. There's no point locking the stable door, as Frank McDonald would have us do. This horse has well and truly bolted - all the way to Carlow!

Slice · 06-10-2006 5:23pm

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that European standards should be followed blindly.

My point had nothing to do with American or Australian quality of life standards, which are also shared by many European countries. I simply don't believe that uniform suburban living or sprawl as Frank McDonald puts it is good for Irish society. Maybe I need to be convinced but I don't believe that many people choose to live so far from the city by choice - if this isn't a failure of planning then what is? Leading on from this in my view one of the worst failures of this Government is that it failed to enforce the 20% requirement for affordable and social housing in new developments which leads to neighbourhoods being defined along class lines, and therefore segregation.

Navan Junction · 06-10-2006 5:34pm

Metrobest wrote:

This horse has well and truly bolted - all the way to Carlow!

DerekP11 · 06-10-2006 10:44pm

Slice wrote:

Irrespective of what happened with Tallaght, Clondalkin etc. the problem now is that the current greenbelt around Dublin doesn't appear to be respected, especially by neighbouring local authorities. So it looks like the sprawl will continue.

In case its escaped your attention, the greenbelt you speak of, actually has considerable acreage inside the Dublin Border. Perhaps, if this had been developed in the early 90s with proper high density, then the mass exodus to Carlow or wherever may not have happened and public transport solutions could have been tailored made to suit it. Our previous development efforts are not conducive to positive public transport solutions.

I agree that we should not abandon the people that have been forced outward beyond the Dublin border, but realistically, we will never provide suitable public transport solutions for them. However, there are possibilities that will go a long way to assisting them. But we have to find a way of stopping this exodus. Only then can new public transport find an environment in which it can work successfully.

By the way, this particular issue is also relevent in other Irish cities and large towns. Furthermore, the continued policy of permitting "one off" housing is a recipe to continued car dependency.

Danno · 08-10-2006 11:23pm

It is not just Dublin either, many towns are simply expanding out along existing roads. Take the N80 towards Mountmellick out of Portlaoise FFS, it is stupid to see all the estates being built so far out of town. Everytime someone wants a carton of milk, it involves a car ride into the town.

Navan Junction · 10-10-2006 11:55am

Urban sprawl
10/10/2006

Ireland's unparalleled growth over the past decade is frequently cited abroad as an inspiring example of economic transformation. Whether among the newer EU member states or among once impoverished countries in the developing world, the story of the "Celtic Tiger" has been told and retold so often that it has almost acquired mythical status.

The negative aspects were either ignored, or painted out of the picture - even by us. But it has become obvious to more perceptive visitors to Dublin, in particular, that the city is dysfunctional. The chaos at Dublin airport is merely a foretaste of the congestion generated by the region's economic success and the Government's failure to curtail suburban sprawl.

The word is now getting out. As reported in this newspaper, Dublin's sprawl is being used by the European Environment Agency (EEA) as a "worst-case scenario" of urban planning so that newer EU member states might avoid making the same mistakes. It is clear that the authors of a report by the agency on sprawl throughout Europe, due to be published next month, were quite taken aback by what they found here. They concluded - quite correctly - that it was the result of laissez faire planning policies which allowed development to run out of control. And their message to newer EU member states is that they should seek to avoid making the same mistakes as we made over the past decade.

The Government has one last chance to put Ireland on the path towards the so far elusive goal of sustainable development. Ministers and senior officials are currently finalising a new National Development Plan (NDP), covering the period 2007-2013, and its investment priorities will largely determine our future quality of life.

"If we seize this opportunity, the future is bright. If we fail, we will struggle for decades," according to Prof Frank Convery, chairman of Comhar, the Sustainable Development Council, which hosted a three-day conference on the issues involved last week. So what the NDP needs to focus on, in his view, is the quality of our environment, innovation and inclusiveness.

As Prof Convery pointed out, sustainability is about quality of life in all its aspects - jobs, rising disposable income, fairness and opportunity, and protecting our environment. None of these can be discounted in a sensible, civilised society. One of the most important issues to be tackled is spatial planning, because this will govern where we live and how we get around. If the new NDP ends up encouraging more sprawl, it will squander the chance of creating a better quality of life in more compact, less car dependent cities and towns.

© The Irish Times

[article] Dublin is cited as worst-case scenario of sprawl

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