Cities Reimagined (Cork / Limerick) EE19 EP8

Ireland’s population is expected to increase by more than 1 million people over the next 20 years, 75% of which will live in our cities. Can our cities handle this? Duncan Stewart investigates.
Ireland’s expected population increase by 2040, of 1 million people will require half a million new homes and about 1.8 million urban apartments. Even now the viability of our cities as places to live, work and grow are not as healthy as they could be. Without an integrated approach to planning, Ireland’s cities are currently on track for a future with continuing sprawling growth, stagnation and a further decline of our environment from increasing levels of gridlock.
Now with the realisation of the National Planning Framework, Government policy on planning has never been clearer or joined up in terms of infrastructure investment following planning- rather than the other way around. Under this new plan, over 40% of all new housing has to be delivered within existing urban areas on brownfield sites which could transform city life as we know it. In this episode Duncan Stewart travels to Limerick and Cork to find out if we can retrofit our cities and build communities suitable for families within the city limits. He’ll show how individuals and communities together can feed into the planning and development process that shape the development of our communities into the future.

[@theirishwaterboy]

Echo!

[@jM-ez7fq]

Where are all the affordable houses never happen

[@THAIRISH_92]

Limerick feels much more urban than Cork.

[@liamsweeney4754]

I've spent a lot of time in both, I feel cork is much more pleasant as a pedestrian and has more reliable buses

[@THAIRISH_92]

@@liamsweeney4754 yes there are far more shops, cafes, restaurants and services etc in Cork. Good for walking around yes, as many streets are pedestrianised and there are wide footpaths. The city centre core is very flat and makes for gentle and easy strolling. Personally I find that Limerick on the other hand, feels closer to a smaller, older sort of Dublin. It has a sense that it feels more like a small city. The architecture is its greatest strength, along with the wide Shannon.

[@ericfreeman273]

@@THAIRISH_92 I agree and I'm a Cork man.

[@thegaelicgladiator665]

Limerick is more dense in the city centre and buildings in Limerick tend to be bigger towards the middle of the city

[@THAIRISH_92]

@@thegaelicgladiator665 true. As a Dub, I actually feel almost totally at home walking through the Georgian streets, sometimes you’d forget you were in Limerick.

[@jameskeogh948]

Duncan will you stop with the desperately silly "real capital"