3.2 Recent Settlement Changes in Contemporary Dublin

As detailed above, Dublin’s cityscape is made-up of largely low-rise buildings (Cassidy 2024). As the population of Dublin expands through migration and a growing population, there are increasing pressures on housing, and as a result, the city has encountered a cost of housing crisis in recent years, resulting in many residents being forced outside of the city into the Greater Dublin Area and beyond. The limits on available housing – to both rent and buy – has resulted in an increase in rent and mortgage prices, an aspect that inevitably shapes the demographic makeup of a city, as wealthier individuals are able to afford living in the city centre, while those with less financial capital are pushed further out (Academy of Urbanism 2006). This leads to several patterns in urban settlement, such as urban sprawl, the rise of suburbs, and the process of gentrification in neighbourhoods on the outer limits of the city centre (Cassidy 2024).

Image Juxtaposition 

Below, move the cursor to compare urban expansion in Dublin from satellite images that contrast Dublin in 1984 and 2022 to see what has changed over this period of time. In particular, look for:

• the direction of urban sprawl in the city
• the increase of urban density in particular parts of the city
• the changes in the Docklands area, discussed in this chapter
• the development of new roads

Figure 3.8 These two satellite images of urban expansion in Dublin during the years 1984 and 2022 were taken by NASA’s Earth Observatory, for an article titled “Dublin Urban Expansion” (2024).  © NASA Earth Observatory. View source. These photographs are included on the basis of fair dealing.

Replanning and Development: A Case Study in Dublin’s Docklands

In recent years, major redevelopments have taken place in Dublin. This is attributable to major economic changes, including the Celtic Tiger – an economic boom in the early 2000s – as well as the rise of international companies in Dublin due to some of Ireland’s lucrative taxation policies.

One example of a major redevelopment in Dublin’s urban landscape is Dublin Docklands, an area where the River Liffey meets the beginnings of the Grand Canal. The development of the Docklands commenced in the late 1990s under the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, and has included the building of restaurants and hotels around the docks; the area has been noted as being “more market than community-oriented” in terms of how it has been built (Academy of Urbanism 2006). Some of the aims of the project included a change in land use, including the promotion of expanded residency, development of social activities, and a boost in employment and economic development in the area (Dublin City Council 2024c).

As Agustina Martire (2012) writes of the Dublin Docklands project, the focus was not on the preservation of existing communities when the redevelopment project took place. Martire (2012) presents an interesting study of Dublin’s Docklands urban morphology in this regard: the redevelopment overlooked the existing histories of the areas of Ringsend and Irishtown, where the Docklands are situated today. The intangible histories of Irishtown in particular are significant to what you have learned above regarding Dublin’s city walls of the 17th century; during that time, Irish residents were exiled to the area that the Docklands envelops, and by the 19th century the area had developed a reputation of being deteriorated and a contaminated space of industry. By the late 19th century, the Docklands area was considered working class, while areas further inwards were considered socially mobile. The Docklands continued to have a working class identity in the 20th century.

When we consider the upscale hotels and restaurants that line the Docklands as a part of Dublin’s Dockland redevelopment scheme, we can see the incongruence that emerges, as Martire (2012) so eloquently details:

“The urban design and building type of these new developments basically invites a certain type of population that clashes, and is totally at odds with the existing one, while the sense of authenticity and identity of an urban area is lost” (52).

Just as we have seen the layering of different moments from Dublin’s history in its contemporary lived environment – from historic city walls to Georgian houses – we can also see the contemporary layering of new urban development schemes onto existing communities, and how these developments can change the shape and nature of both cultural life and the physical architecture of these areas over time. The changing shape of urban settlement and development in Dublin is always in flux, and contemporary changes reveal this ever-changing process.