Irish Cities in Crisis

Over the past weeks and months, the team behind Irish Cities in Crisis spoke to people all over the country about the issues facing our urban centres. A notable theme throughout has been the passion and ambition they all share for the places they live. This came across in each and every episode, despite the scale of the problems being discussed. So it seemed fitting to cap off the series by bringi...

In the late 1950’s Ireland was a young nation facing an almost existential crisis - the impact of which would be felt for generations. It was against this backdrop that T.K. Whitaker, then a departmental secretary, penned a note to the newly appointed Minister for Finance. Simply titled ‘The Irish Economy, 1957’, it was a stark and sobering read but it became the catalyst for major reform.  I...

In adapting the work of the Irish Cities 2070 group to podcast form, we’ve tried to take things in a more conversational direction and to talk to people who share that sense of purpose and from a wide range of perspectives. With that in mind, we’ve talked to Irish people about these urban challenges - from housing, to dereliction, population, traffic and business over the past 3 episode. This week...

Over the last two episodes, Matt has spoken to a wide range of people - both experts and city dwellers - about the very real urban crisis that exists in Ireland today. We’ve also heard about how the challenges and necessities of the past have informed the problems we now face today in cities like Dublin, Galway, Cork, Waterford and Limerick. In this episode, we take a deep-dive into the population...

To understand how we arrived at this crisis, we must take a journey to the past. In this episode Matt learns how urban life in Ireland has changed since 1975, how the rise of the car has changed our cities and why we could all do with a dose of the optimism of the 1990s. Contributors include: Carole Pollard Tony Reddy Frank McDonald Máire Henry Sean Mahon Irish Cities in Crisis is hosted by Matt C...

In episode 1 of the series, Matt speaks to key contributors from the book that inspired the podcast along with business leaders, community activists and more, to uncover how critical Ireland's urban problems really are. What are the challenges that are unique to Ireland, what is their impact and where are the solutions? Contributors include: Sean Mahon, RIAI President David Browne, Co-editor Irish...