SETTLEMENT AND URBAN PLANNING

2005 Q 2 (c) 12 marks

“Urban renewal, urban redevelopment and new towns are all used by planners to reduce problems of modern city life.”

(i) Examine the newspaper extract provided here and state whether it refers to urban renewal or to urban redevelopment.

Dublin Corporation is trying to persuade people in parts of the old Liberties area of the inner city not to abandon their old neighbourhoods. With this in mind, many houses are being restored by the Corporation and new community services are being provided in the area. Answer: It refers to urban renewal.

(ii) Briefly describe one difference between urban renewal and urban redevelopment.

Answer: Urban renewal involves the replacement of old substandard housing with new modern housing, often within an inner-city area. There is no change in function as the area remains residential. Urban redevelopment does involve a change in function. In Dublin’s docklands derelict warehouses and factories were demolished and replaced by offices, apartments and hotels.

(iii) Name any new town in Ireland. Answer: Tallaght

(iv) Briefly describe two typical features of this new town.

• Tallaght has a large out-of-town shopping centre called The Square. Land prices in Tallaght are cheaper than in the city centre. This allowed the developers of The Square to build a large shopping centre with ample space for car parks. Shoppers are attracted to The Square because it has free car parking and the traffic associated with the city centre can be avoided. • Tallaght has excellent transport facilities. A dual carriageway runs north-east from Tallaght towards the city-centre. The M50 links Tallaght to Dublin airport and the country’s motorway network. The Luas red line is a tram system that links Tallaght to the city centre. These transport links were very important in attracting industries to the Tallaght Industrial Estate.