Irish Cities in Crisis: A book by the Irish Cities 2070 Group, published by the RIAI

The contribution of Irish cities to our way of life is poorly understood across society and all levels of government. Ireland has a very successful economy and an expanding population but is seriously deficient in town-planning and urban design. Unless we implement significant change to how we plan and design cities, Ireland will fall behind in its international standing as a quality place in which to live, work and invest.

Irish cities are in crisis because current systems of planning and development cannot deliver the well-designed environments needed for the future. Given the projected scale of population growth, entrenched land-hungry methods of urban expansion simply cannot continue.

Irish Cities in Crisis calls out the deficits, but it is also full of appropriate and achievable solutions. It champions collaboration between civil society and local, regional and state governments to bring about change. Change will not be easy and political courage will be required, but the bottom line is that it is time to prioritise the common good.

The essays in the book argue for a shift in the mindset – radical change is needed in how we finance, govern and plan Irish cities. Cities must be recognised for what they are – the engines of our social, economic and cultural lives – and they must be treated with imagination and care. Great cities and towns are our future.

Change will demand top-down and bottom-up collaboration between all sectors and all communities. It will need considerable investment in planning to deliver beautiful, functional and inspirational cities to accommodate our population now and in the future. There is much to do, and the RIAI believe that Irish Cities in Crisis can chart the way.