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Pedestrianise College Green for 2016

  • 14-03-2010 4:45pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭


    Join the facebook group: College Green Plaza - Pedestrianise College Green for 2016

    2016 is around the corner and civic squares aren't an uncommon way to celebrate such national centenaries. Dublin still lacks any real central square and the docklands plans for "The Parlour", a rectangular wall of shipping containers, isn't exactly going to set the city, let alone the country or world alight...

    There had been talk in the last few years of pedestrianising College Green. The gov have already experimented with the bus corridor and hopefully around 2016 there will be the MN/DARTu "Dublin Metro", making it easier than ever to go ahead and transform the area around TCD and the Bank of Ireland into Ireland's national civi plaza, "on a par with the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna".

    It has been proposed by TCD and Ciarán Cuffe (perhaps a candidate for the first Dublin mayor elections?).

    In my opinion it's time to bring this back on the agenda, it's entirely doable, very much needed and would be a great addition to the city for 2016.

    070921_Conference_Lg.jpg

    Image7.png

    Look at the space you're working with... a plaza here would be beautiful.

    college_green.jpg


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Comments

  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    I like it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,449 ✭✭✭Blisterman


    Looks like it could work. But what happens to Dame Street? Would that be completely pedestrianised, or would the road to Westmoreland street still exist?


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,853 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    I've been an advocate of this for years. What other city has such a wealth of architectural gems in one place, together with enough space to show it off?

    At the moment, it is choked with traffic and the pavements are totally clogged with pedestrians in their thousands. It must be the most traffic and people choked part of the city.

    What a lovely space could be created here. I just think the car lobby has too much power, and will win out. But I live in hope. Busgate is a good start.

    Can we start a lobby group for this? What a great way this would be to open the city to pedestrians, and visitors, and maybe a good food market. It would add so much to the ambience of the city, and would become the focal point.

    Watch out though, all those car park owners/shop owners/car drivers will have a total fit!


  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    I've been an advocate of this for years. What other city has such a wealth of architectural gems in one place, together with enough space to show it off?

    At the moment, it is choked with traffic and the pavements are totally clogged with pedestrians in their thousands. It must be the most traffic and people choked part of the city.

    What a lovely space could be created here. I just think the car lobby has too much power, and will win out. But I live in hope. Busgate is a good start.

    Can we start a lobby group for this? What a great way this would be to open the city to pedestrians, and visitors, and maybe a good food market. It would add so much to the ambience of the city, and would become the focal point.

    Watch out though, all those car park owners/shop owners/car drivers will have a total fit!

    There will be a Dublin Metro station on Pearse Street, via. the Trinity College biosciences building, the city will be better placed than ever to finally pedestrianise College Green.

    I've made a Facebook group to support this idea: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=360647236698

    What with fb groups seemingly more influential than writing to your local politician and all.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,811 ✭✭✭Chris_5339762


    MN and the Luas linkup first, then this. Great idea I say but wait for the chaos that the shopowners would come out with.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    MN and the Luas linkup first, then this. Great idea I say but wait for the chaos that the shopowners would come out with.

    The same shop-owners that ignore the shopfront regulations and plaster their beautiful architecture with disgusting neon logos?

    Let them leave and let some nice independent cafés set up shop and use the edges of the plaza for outdoor seating! :cool:


  • Registered Users Posts: 78,218 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    All very good, but you would have no north-south transport routes between Christchurch and Westland Row.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,698 ✭✭✭D'Peoples Voice


    Victor wrote: »
    All very good, but you would have no north-south transport routes between Christchurch and Westland Row.

    thats a good thing, it might reduce the number of cars travelling through the CENTRE of the city that don't need to be there!


  • Registered Users Posts: 78,218 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    I've no disagreement with that, but what about people?


  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    Would be so gorgeous with a large fountain+statues, lined with outdoor eating cafés in the summer. Also an ideal place for political rallies etc., as there currently is none.

    There are french villages a 100th the size of Dublin with plazas, it really is a gaping hole in the city.

    Once you imagine it there, you can't imagine Dublin without it.

    "Pearse Street would have to become a two way system again and take over from Nassau Street as the area to get buses from. This would actually help to generate more activity on Pearse Street. It would obviously take a huge amount more than just this, but it is one of my first thoughts on it anyway."

    college%20green.jpg


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  • Registered Users Posts: 523 ✭✭✭Lauder


    Yixian wrote: »
    Would be so gorgeous with a large fountain+statues, lined with outdoor eating cafés in the summer. Also an ideal place for political rallies etc., as there currently is none.

    There are french villages a 100th the size of Dublin with plazas, it really is a gaping hole in the city.

    Once you imagine it there, you can't imagine Dublin without it.

    "Pearse Street would have to become a two way system again and take over from Nassau Street as the area to get buses from. This would actually help to generate more activity on Pearse Street. It would obviously take a huge amount more than just this, but it is one of my first thoughts on it anyway."

    college%20green.jpg

    Fantastic idea. Traffic could still be managed quite easily. Pearse St would become 2 way, as would Nassau St (both are wide with plenty of room).
    Removal of no left turn at the Dawson/Nassau junction to allow traffic access Dame Street via St. Andrew St, removal of police station carpark outside Pearse St Police Station and two way flow there.

    More statues and features would be required in the Green though. new plan looks a bit bland with too much paving and too little features. Perhaps a large fountain could be built. Might even be time to return the King Billy statue as a sign of how we have moved on as a nation.


  • Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 5,018 Mod ✭✭✭✭G_R


    Fantastic idea, I love it. It would be a great asset to the city to have a Plaza like this in the City Centre.


  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    Lauder wrote: »
    Fantastic idea. Traffic could still be managed quite easily. Pearse St would become 2 way, as would Nassau St (both are wide with plenty of room).
    Removal of no left turn at the Dawson/Nassau junction to allow traffic access Dame Street via St. Andrew St, removal of police station carpark outside Pearse St Police Station and two way flow there.

    More statues and features would be required in the Green though. new plan looks a bit bland with too much paving and too little features. Perhaps a large fountain could be built. Might even be time to return the King Billy statue as a sign of how we have moved on as a nation.

    I definitely think a fountain would be great, Dublin does seem to lack fountains really.


  • Registered Users Posts: 523 ✭✭✭Lauder


    Yixian wrote: »
    I definitely think a fountain would be great, Dublin does seem to lack fountains really.

    If this is something that is aimed for 2016 and the commemorations that go with such, the reinstatement of King Billy's statue would be a fine gesture to our Orange neighbours.

    As a fountain would this be too ambitious, minus the clutter and pigeons of course?

    trafalgar-square-u5.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 577 ✭✭✭Typewriter


    Lauder wrote: »
    If this is something that is aimed for 2016 and the commemorations that go with such, the reinstatement of King Billy's statue would be a fine gesture to our Orange neighbours.

    I never knew about "King Billy's statue" until I googled it just there.

    It looks well I'd be in favor of having it reinstated.

    http://www.politics.ie/history/9021-king-williams-statue-dublin.html

    Dublin,_King_Billy1.jpg

    small_Statue%20King%20Billy%20.JPG


  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    Lauder wrote: »
    If this is something that is aimed for 2016 and the commemorations that go with such, the reinstatement of King Billy's statue would be a fine gesture to our Orange neighbours.

    As a fountain would this be too ambitious, minus the clutter and pigeons of course?

    http://www.bigfoto.com/europe/london/trafalgar-square-u5.jpg

    The fountain alone? I don't see why not.

    I'm neutral on the King Billy idea, but I think Spirit of Ireland will be a bigger pull on the North than a stature ;) It's a nice statue though but I wouldn't want it to be the centre piece.


  • Registered Users Posts: 19,015 ✭✭✭✭murphaph


    It'll have to wait until the Interconector and Metro North are in place IMO but it is a fine idea that has real merit. Munich pedestrianised Marienplatz when they built their version of the Interconnector and it's hard to imagine the city without it today! This part of Dublin really is quite beautiful with fine buildings just sitting there...but you can't look up at them for fear of falling off a crowded pavement in front of a bus! Imagine being able to sit in the green witha cold drink on a hot summer's day, no traffic in sight, just some of Dublin's finest architecture.

    Traffic needs to be taken out of the core of the city as far as possible. The inner and outer rings are not being utilised to their maximum as I believe the signage is inadequate and the traffic signal priorities don't make using the rings at all attractive. It should be faster to use the rings to circumvent the core of the city but often it's not!

    Public transport of course is the only real solution that can deliver a real quality of life in the city. This needs a high capacity rail based spine running underground and the Interconnector will provide it (along with MN which should be connected to the green line directly eventually, no question!).


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,630 ✭✭✭Plowman


    This post has been deleted.


  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    "Dublin Metro" could potentially allow for not just one, but two or three squares in central Dublin.

    College Green is obviously the place to start though, what better way to celebrate 2016.

    Trees, water and stonework - I am sure there is no end of architects who would love to get their hands on such a space.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,174 ✭✭✭Thinkingaboutit


    Not a wise idea until various public transport projects are finished. Knowing how this country works, they might pedestrianise it anyhow, and push the chaos on to other streets. Fountains, fountains, floozie in the Jacuzzi anyone? People in other countries are far more civic minded, and less likely to litter. I cannot imagine how much litter there will be there by tomorrow evening. Reasonable idea, if it's done along with other things. That statue was fairly ugly judging from photos I saw of it before, and it would be the first target of tokenist Republicans.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    Not a wise idea until various public transport projects are finished. Know how this country works, they might pedestrianise it anyhow, and push the chaos on to other streets. Fountains, fountains, floozie in the Jacuzzi anyone? People in other countries are far more civic minded, and less likely to litter. I cannot imagine how much litter there will be there by tomorrow evening. Reasonable idea, if it's done along with other things.

    This proposal suggests it be done along with, or shortly after, the opening of the underground lines - fingers crossed, by 2016.


  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    Over 200 members and growing pretty fast, once numbers are high enough we'll start letter petitions, mockup competitions etc.

    Let's face it, unless the public really makes it's voice heard, city planning ends up as watered down mediocrity these days.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,468 ✭✭✭BluntGuy


    I absolutely support this idea.

    Not sure a facebook campaign will do much by itself though - it needs to be channelled into a more constructive outlet, as you said letter-writing, petitions etc.

    I'll fire off an e-mail to them as well. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19 Craig Fay


    Not an expert, but here's what I would propose.

    1.jpg
    2.jpg

    Thisa still leaves College Street, Westmoreland and D'Olier Street as major bus routes. However, it would require buses that currently go south through College Green to divert down Townsend Street, towards a reversed Westland Row and on towards Merrion Square. I haven't yet worked out what route they would take going north. :p Maybe Sandwith Street by the Dart Underground entrance? Any suggestions?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,905 ✭✭✭Aard


    A great idea, which I fully support.


    As Craig showed above, there is also the Lucan Luas Line to take into consideration.


    As for a fountain, it's not something to be done lightly. Antisocial behaviour aside, it has the potential to make or break the Square. Too big - it dominates, and doesn't allow people to congregate easily. Think the lake in UCD. Too small - it might make the Square seem less important than it actually is.


  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    I'm hoping to start a mockup competition on the facebook group soon, but am having trouble producing a "blank canvas" pedestrianised College Green photo with which people can play with - does anyone here have superior Photoshop skills that might be able to help with that?


    As for a fountain, I think it would be disappointing not to have one, Dublin may be Statue City but there's nary a drop of running water to be found decorating public spaces. I agree that is has to be done right, and I would be very disappointed if it was too small.

    A few interesting fountains to think about:

    fountain.jpg

    fountain-seattle-270x179.png

    schlossplatz_brunnen_1.jpg

    Classicalist that I am I do prefer the last.

    Something minimalist like the first would probably work, but the architectural surroundings are georgian and I'd like a fountain to be too. However something like no. 2 would probably become more iconic. I can't imagine how OTT a classical fountain would have to be to become renowned lmao.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,905 ✭✭✭Aard


    I like the first one there. I think that if there is a competition, then designers would more than likely lean towards a modern style. Kinda like the new GCD Square. This would make it less likely for an old-style fountain.


  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    The competition is just to generate some ideas and publicity, at the end of the day if we are successful the city would still draft in an architectural firm to design the plaza.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,905 ✭✭✭Aard


    Sorry, I was ambiguous - I meant a hypothetical competition commissioned by they city.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 292 ✭✭Yixian


    Aard wrote: »
    Sorry, I was ambiguous - I meant a hypothetical competition commissioned by they city.

    Ah sorry, yeah you're probably right about that..

    I actually can't think of any well known architects who specialise in classical design at all.. anyone know of any?

    I mean, I just don't think Hadid or Foster, as great as they are, would really suit College Green somehow. Would have been nice if they'd played a part in the docklands redevelopment though..


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