TWICE THE SIZE - DIT Update - Dublin Institute of Technology

palpable shift in Cork from the “wired world” to the “conceptual age” of words, music and art,
which some might say occurred in retaliation against the insidious web-styles permeating almost
every other aspect of life. Building on past projects such as the European Capital of Culture in
2005, Cork successfully harnessed its creative resources throughout the late 2010s and 2020s.
During this period, tourism became one of the city’s most important sources of inward
investment, with significant increases in airport passenger volume. Cork City Council was partly
credited with the surge in tourism for its role in increasing the number and quality of Areas of
Special Character (ASC) and Protected Structures in the city, as well as making major
streetscape improvements with the provision of walking and cycling tour routes along the docks
and throughout the old city quarter. Cork was named Europe’s number one city break
destination in 2013, and, in 2016, it was given the prestigious “Eco-Trail Destination of the
Year” award. The opening of the Spike Island Heritage Centre in 2015 further boosted local
tourism. However, Cork’s Slow Food Movement was also accorded due credit for instigating an
increase in tourist numbers to both Cork city and county. With the rise of ethical consumerism
at a time of deepening eco-anxiety, Cork North West capitalized on the growing niche market of
the new demographic known as “ethical eaters”.
Society and Technology
Building a livable city became a central tenet of city planning and development in Cork during
the 2020s. To some extent, this was achieved with Cork coming second on the 2018 City
Happiness Index (CHI) list, which measured the three most important drivers of national
happiness: health, wealth and education. However, an undercurrent of social unrest is
increasingly felt within Cork, and there are growing fears that a social crisis looms. Social
dynamics at the local level have given rise to public concern as a shift from former patterns of
community identity towards individual identity has taken place. Nationalisms and ethnicities are
pulling people apart in the city, and ethnic communities are increasingly being polarized and
segmented in the workplace, in education, and in networks and norms, thereby rendering Cork a
socially divided city with growing disparity levels between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. Although
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Having gained a worldwide
reputation as a number one
producer of added value, quality,
organically grown food and
humanely raised meat and
poultry, perhaps Cork’s future
competitive edge will be largely
reliant on the surrounding towns
of Charleville, Kanturk and
Coachford to cater for the
emerging appetites of the “moral
economy”.