TWICE THE SIZE - DIT Update - Dublin Institute of Technology

As these ‘Employee villages’ financially supported themselves, this gave the local government
the opportunity to focus its time on the transport issues of Galway city. The city reaped the
benefits of the final development by 2018 , of the N6 and the Galway city outer bypass, as well
as a fifth bridge over the river Corrib which has relieved traffic pressure ever since, encouraging
drivers not to enter the city centre. A light rail system, the ‘T’ was developed. All of these
changes contributed to the dynamic fabric of Galway city.
However, this success has not come without a price. Two of the most important topics which
have failed to top the Western regional agenda have been the Environment and the Elderly. In
trying to reach new economic and social heights, the environment remains in an extremely
vulnerable state. The local government shelved the green agenda which meant that
international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and 2012 Montreal agreement relating to
water conservation were ignored and forgotten about. By 2020, cryptosporidium had infected
Galway’s water supplies for the second time, demonstrating a clear need to encourage and
legislate environmental policy through collaborative action. The concept of short-termism is still
widely used in this sector and this must be changed immediately to incorporate Galway’s longterm
vision.
Furthermore, as members of society in the Western region enjoy a good standard of living owing
to the stable economic conditions, high levels of innovation and resource productivity, the older
sector of society seem to have been left behind. Over the years, as the population in the region
increased, there has also been an increase in old age poverty. It is an issue that is not generally
addressed. The elderly feel they are not connected to the world and thus feel marginalised
owing to their lack of choice or preference to remain steeped in tradition.
So, how can we achieve the right balance between the social, economic and environmental
imperatives? I want you to think long and hard about this and I would like to end on this note, in
the words of Charles Mulford Robinson (1909):
“It is no small matter to recast a city –
readjusting it to its higher density, and
shaping it for a greater trade and industry
and larger population than had been
foreseen. But the very need of so doing is
inspiring and calculated to give courage; and
today, in the competition of cities for a
wholesome living, the city that dares is the
city that wins.”
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