Urban Institute Ireland Working Papers
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- PublicationWhere have all the parks gone? Changes in Dublin's green space between 1990 and 2006(University College Dublin. Urban Institute Ireland, 2009)Between 1990 and 2006, the Dublin Region was amongst the most rapidly growing urban areas in Europe. The increase in population and industry presents particular challenges for spatial planning. The aim of the Urban Environment Project (UEP, www.uep.ie) is to provide spatial data and forecasts of future land-use patterns by using dynamic urban modelling which will underpin the development of decision-support tools for planners and policy-makers. For this study, we are using UEP landcover datasets to specifically address the question of what changes in urban green space (GS) occurred over a period of rapid growth (1990 – 2006). GS provides many functions within a city, ranging from the biotic (habitat provision, corridors of dispersal, reservoir populations) to the abiotic (storm water control, carbon sequestration, temperature regulation, increased property values). Over the study period (1990 – 2006) artificial urban surfaces have increased by 30% (by 8926 ha). Although the overall percentage of GS to built fabric stayed roughly constant over time (at about 23%), the losses and gains of GS were not evenly distributed throughout the city. GS was mainly lost near the city centre, where it converted to built areas. The GS gained was at the perimeter of the city to the detriment of agricultural land and semi-natural vegetation types. The result is a net loss of vegetated surfaces both within and outside the city. We discuss the possible implications of these changes in Dublin’s GS.
384 - PublicationSimulating urban encroachment upon Natura2000 sites using the MOLAND model : supporting appropriate assessment(University College Dublin. Urban Institute Ireland, 2009)The urban fabric of the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) has expanded rapidly over the past 20 years. This has lead to a decrease in environmental quality throughout the region and disturbance of protected areas. In an effort to guide development toward a more sustainable path in the region the “Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area” were introduced in 1999. These were updated in 2004 as the “Regional Planning Guidelines: Greater Dublin Area 2004-2016” and are currently in the process of another review to become the “Regional Planning Guidelines: Greater Dublin Area 2010-2022”. As part of the review an Appropriate Assessment was undertaken to evaluate the effect of several potential settlement patterns on the region’s protected areas. The MOLAND model was used to simulate four scenarios of possible future settlement patterns for the GDA. These four scenarios were then evaluated in terms of the impact of development on protected areas within the region.
293 - PublicationAir quality and MOLAND : description of a methodology to determine emissions output and affected populations(University College Dublin. Urban Institute Ireland, 2008)In recent years, awareness of air quality issues in urban areas has increased significantly. The negative consequences for human health as a result of poor air quality have resulted in numerous laws being enacted both in Ireland and around the world, in an attempt to limit exposure. Within the urban environment, motor vehicles are one of the most significant contributors to pollution. As a result, constant monitoring takes place but little work is done on predicting likely changes in air quality, for better or worse, as a result of changes in landuse or transport. The MOLAND model can provide the basis for an emissions estimation methodology to predict changes in vehicular emissions, and consequently air quality, both now and in the future, enabling policy makers and planners to examine the air quality implications of their decisions.
348 - PublicationRegional planning guideline review : using MOLAND as part of the strategic environmental assessment process(University College Dublin. Urban Institute Ireland, 2009)The urban fabric of the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) has expanded rapidly over the past 20 years. In an effort to coordinate development across the region the “Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area” were introduced in 1999. These were updated in 2004 as the “Regional Planning Guidelines: Greater Dublin Area 2004-2016” and are currently in the process of another review to become the “Regional Planning Guidelines: Greater Dublin Area 2010-2022”. As part of the review a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was undertaken to evaluate the effect of several future settlement patterns on the region’s environment. The MOLAND model was used to simulate four scenarios of possible future settlement patterns for the GDA. These four scenarios were then evaluated in terms of several indicators of sustainability and the results discussed in terms of the implications of these future settlement patterns on the environment of the region.
839 - PublicationAnalysing climate impact on energy demand using the MOLAND model(University College Dublin. Urban Institute Ireland, 2008)The importance and contribution of climate to energy demand are discussed. A linear regression model is developed to analyse future energy demand corresponding to climate change. The methodology for spatial analysis and integration to MOLAND are also provided in order to investigate possible consequences of different urban development paths on energy consumption patterns.
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