Ireland
accessed European subsidies for their infrastruc-
ture implementation schemes, such as new trans-
port systems. The profession is considered to be
behind the UK in client awareness, with the design
and implementation of public open space gener-
ally being the domain of architects with land-
scape architects in support. However, the evidence
from newly completed schemes suggests that the
tide is turning. There have been recent develop-
ments, for example, at Baronstrand, Waterford
(Bernard Seymour), Eyre Square, Galway (Mitchell
and Associates), Patrick Street Cork (Beth Gali) and
Tralee town centre (Nicholas de Jong), for which
landscape architects have been commissioned
to design and implement town and city centre
schemes.
Residential, business and industrial development is
booming. Partnership between private investment
and government money is expanding. The National
Spatial Strategy (NSS) emphasises the potential
for the urban and rural environment to contribute
to the country’s continuing prosperity. The NSS
(2002–2020) is a planning framework which aims
to achieve a better balance of social, economic and
physical development across Ireland, supported by
more effective planning.
Irish towns and cities are becoming more cosmo-
politan in character and lifestyle and the design
of their urban spaces and streets is fundamental
to this development. High-quality sustainable and
innovative spatial design complements new build-
ings and promotes regeneration of the built envi-
ronment, while strengthening communities. Other
changes have integrated life inside the buildings
with streets and external spaces. The windows in
bars which were traditionally high or decorated,
which detached them from the streetscape, are
now large and of plate glass, which integrates the
internal and external environments. The smoking
ban of 2004 (which applied to enclosed public plac-
es), together with an upsurge of markets, has also
increased the use of outdoor spaces. These livelier
streets have increased the demand for external
spaces of high quality, the implementation of which
has increased their usage.
The cityscape of Dublin has recently undergone
a renaissance. In 1986, the Urban Renewal Acts
provided tax incentives for undeveloped parts of
the city, although they made no provision for com-
munity benefit within the developments. The first
landscape project in the vicinity of Dublin to take
advantage of the new legislation was the ferry
terminal at Dun Laoghaire, built in 1991 to accom-
modate new ferries of larger size. The terminal plaza
is an important gateway to the country for tourists
and immigrants. The scheme includes microclimate
attenuation and striking artwork in the form of a
