TWICE THE SIZE - DIT Update - Dublin Institute of Technology

FUTURE SCENARIOS FOR LIMERICK
SCENARIO 1: Trading Places (National scenario: THE SOW OF LIBERTY)
The high concentration of immigrants in the capital forced policy makers to focus on
repopulating the relatively empty countryside, particularly so in the West. Limerick, on the
brink of an extraordinary physical and cultural renaissance, was more than ready to receive the
influx. Once renowned for its unemployment, mass emigration, urban decay and rising crime,
the Limerick region by 2030 has managed to claw its way out of its economic and social rut.
Ireland’s fastest growing city on the back of a booming economy, with a population of almost
400,000, is now in pole position to compete with neighbouring urban centres throughout
Ireland. The face of Limerick has morphed into an unrecognisable form and walking through the
streets of the city today it is difficult to imagine what came before.
In a conversation with the newly elected Mayor Kowalski, I attempt to trace the trajectory of
change in one of Ireland’s most exciting cities, and find out what the plans are for the future.
Q. In your opinion Mayor Kowalski, what have been the key factors in putting Limerick back on
the economic map?
When I arrived in the city almost 25 years ago, one of the major problems facing the future
prospects of Limerick was the fragmented process of governance. With three different
authorities responsible for public services and planning, attempts to develop a cohesive,
integrated, and inclusive vision for the gateway, particularly in terms of land use and transport,
were failing miserably. Disjointed urban renewal projects, sprawling estates and poorly
coordinated infrastructural developments did more to highlight the inadequacies of local
government than raise the profile of Limerick in any meaningful way.
The period between 2007 and 2010 was a difficult time for the region. FDI hit an all time low as
Limerick failed to develop an adequate industrial cluster to match the south and west, which
had attracted a heavy concentration of investment from the pharmaceutical, healthcare and
biotechnology industries. Looking back, reactionary policies were to blame. The tipping point
came in 2007 following the announcement that Aer Lingus was to drop the Shannon-Heathrow
slots. The region had two choices: sink or swim. For Limerick to break out of the ‘cycle of
negativity’ the city had to run leaps and bounds to maintain its status as key economic driver of
the mid-West region and anchor for the Atlantic Technology Corridor. Over the next 10 -15
years, Limerick embarked on a system of ‘Open Governance’, involving the business sector,
community groups, academia and local and regional government. The question, that for the
previous three decades had not been asked, was this: what type of city do we want to create?
Immediate re-branding of the city took place. The redevelopment of the docklands as Ireland’s
Biotech R&D cluster has been hailed as one of the most successful dockland projects worldwide,
creating over 3000 jobs and drawing tourists from far and wide. In retrospect, the location was
eminently suitable for this type of industry with its close proximity to electricity, water and the
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