TWICE THE SIZE - DIT Update - Dublin Institute of Technology

FUTURE SCENARIOS FOR GALWAY
SCENARIO 1: The Turning Point (National scenario: THE SOW OF LIBERTY)
Radio Interview with Simon Appleby, city expert extraordinaire and author of the masterpiece
“The Evolution of the Functional City”, conducted by Galway Bay FM’s Ivan Hope.
Ivan Hope (IH): Simon, as someone who has studied and articulated the art of explaining what a
good city is, do you think Galway is a functional city in the year 2030?
Simon Appleby (SA): Thank you for your kind words, Ivan. As Ireland’s third largest city and the
capital of the West, unfortunately, Galway does not meet the criteria that would categorise it
as a high level functional city, particularly in terms of urban planning and development.
IH: Really, how so?
SA: Well, if we look at the national picture for one moment, 70% of the Irish population lives on
the Belfast to Waterford Eastern corridor. National focus is there. The East of the country boasts
a world class infrastructure, a thriving competitive agri-business and the economy remains in
the in top 25% of the world. Nevertheless, negative impacts have been felt strongly in the West
of Ireland, particularly in Galway. Resentment and anger is at an all time high as the West’s
agenda is left on the back burner.
Galway’s urban form remains weak. Urban sprawl has extended the city limits as far out as
Spiddal, Moycullen and around by Athenry. Dreary, bland housing estates, with little innovative
designs, have popped up around the city with little invested financial support. Developers have
continued to build privatised shopping space with the same chain of stores, Starbucks and
McDonalds, undermining the diversity of the city. This urban stagnation was initiated during the
late 1990s and the early 2000s, with a lack of forward planning.
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Up to now, the planning of the city
has been almost entirely dependent
on the private car with public
transport poorly utilised. There is an
immediate need for a sustainable
networked transport infrastructure;
however, it is still at the planning
stages. You must realise that landuse
and transportation planning
greatly affects the individual’s
option, regarding both
transportation in particular and
lifestyle in general.