Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy Working Papers & Policy Briefs
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Covering the period 1998-2006.
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- PublicationDublin Town Planning Competition: Ashbee and Chettle's The New Dublin - A Study in Civics(University College Dublin. School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy, 1998)The image of a neo-classical, grand Dublin, "the second city of the empire" which is familiar to many, owes much to the foresight and guidance provided by Dublin's Commissioners for the Making of Wide and Convenient Streets and Ways. But behind and alongside the grandeur and the splendour of Georgian Dublin there was another reality, a population of deprived, under educated, poor and unemployed living in slums in back alleys, mews courts and lanes and especially concentrated in the western half of the city (Warburton et al, 1818). But in the 19th century following the Act of Union of 1801, and especially in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars, there was a sharp fall in agricultural prices and the consequent economic decline of much of the country was to affect both Dublin's gentry and its poor - a poor population swollen by an influx from "the poverty stricken countryside as Dublin literally became another pool of Bethesda", (Larkin, 1998).
888 - PublicationFiscal incentives and urban regeneration in Dublin(University College Dublin. Planning and Environmental Policy, 2006-10)Urban development policies have major and immediate impacts on the development and construction processes and have been the subject of major initiatives in recent years particularly in the housing and urban regeneration areas, which are the subject of this paper. Government and policy makers carry out significant market interventions with major market implications on an ongoing basis. Despite the importance of the subject there has been a noticeable lack of evidence-based research in the area. This study in addressing the evolution of policy and its implications hopes to inform the debate on urban regeneration policies in Ireland. From 1986 to 2006 fiscal incentives for urban regeneration have formed a major component of urban development policies. The extent to which such initiatives influence the property market can be gauged from the numbers of completed and ongoing developments, which have benefited from the scheme. This paper focuses on the evolving role of fiscal incentives in urban regeneration, their impact on development and implications for the market of their termination.
830 - PublicationThe functional urban region of Dublin : the evolution of the new functional urban region of Dublin and its influence on future regional planning and development(University College Dublin. Planning and Environmental Policy, 2006-10)This paper investigates the land transformation process and growth pattern emerging in the functional Greater Dublin Area (GDA). The process is considered in the light of the growth pattern of the GDA, which is analysed based upon economic and social statistical evidence. The emergence of discontinuous patterns of development and rapidly expanding functional urban areas has been observed in many developing city regions. Two contrasting trends have emerged with an urban regeneration driven return of development to the central areas of economically strong cities and a concurrent significant dispersal of housing and employment activities development in a sprawl type manner. It is recognised that such patterns have significant implications for the long-term urban development of regions such as Dublin. This paper will include empirical evidence on development patterns emerging, which it is expected will assist in evaluating the effectiveness of policy measures. In particular the methodology of the paper was designed to include a focus on the critical issues which emerged over the period from 1994 to 2002 and their continuing impact on the regions urban development pattern to 2006.This period reflected the regions transition from an underperforming area in terms of economic development to rapid and sustained economic development. Local policy measures and responses are analysed as both a response to and shaping force in such urbanisation. The paper argues that the absence of an effective strategic decision-making process at the functional regional level negates national development policy aspirations. A methodology is proposed to develop a regional understanding of current and proposed patterns of development and their influence on urban form. The paper will include a contrast between stated policy aims, analysis of development data and conclusions on likely future trends. The conclusions will explore the likely future development trends in the functional urban region and their implications for policy making and development.
1101 - PublicationCost-benefit analysis of a resource and environmental survey of Ireland(University College Dublin. Department of Environmental Studies, 2001-11)The Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) has proposed that a national geochemical and airborne geophysical survey of Ireland be undertaken. Together with independent input from the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, this would cover the whole county. The proposed survey has been termed the Resource and Environment Survey of Ireland (RESI). This paper contains an ex-ante cost-benefit analysis of the GSI’s proposal. This analysis reveals a benefit-cost ratio of 5.0.
1311 - PublicationA spatial econometric analysis of well-being using a geographical information systems approach(University College Dublin. Planning and Enviornmental Policy, 2006-07)In recent years, economists have being using socio-economic and socio-demographic characteristics to explain self-reported individual happiness or satisfaction with life. Using Geographical Information Systems (GIS), we employ data disaggregated at the individual and local level to show that while these variables are important, consideration of amenities such as climate, environmental and urban conditions is critical when analyzing subjective wellbeing. Location-specific factors are shown to have a direct impact on life satisfaction. Most importantly, however, the explanatory power of our happiness function substantially increases when the spatial variables are included, highlighting the importance of the role of the spatial dimension in determining well-being. This may have potentially important implications for setting priorities for public policy as, in essence, improving well-being could be considered to be the ultimate goal of public policy.
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