Case Studies   Urban Regeneration in the City of Dublin: Partnership structures and integrated area planning

Who benefits?

The residents of Kilmainham-Inchicore are expected to benefit from the IAP in terms of enhanced economic opportunity, better quality environment and housing, and community and social benefits. A Monitoring Committee chaired by a Dublin City Councillor meets several times a year and reviews progress on the IAP. It provides advice and assistance to the project manager and the project team The Monitoring guidelines recommend that the IAP should report annually under five headings:

• Physical redevelopment

• Economic benefits

• Social and community benefits

• Environmental benefits

• Marketing and Promotion

This is the same model used for all of the IAPs. The Monitoring Committee members sometimes have difficulty with their role. By their nature, the committees are monitoring the progress of the IAP, and only have an advisory role. They often feel powerless to effect any real decisions. In the Liberties-Coombe some months ago, two community representatives resigned their positions from the committee, because they felt disempowered, particularly in relation to planning decisions (in development & construction projects owned by private developers). There are still two remaining community representatives on the Liberties-Coombe Monitoring Committee and relations are beginning to improve again.

The monitoring committee for Kilmainham / Inchicore works broadly on the same lines as that of Liberties-Coombe. While its powers are advisory, most influence stems from its public representative members who express their constituents concerns, have influence outside the committee and are generally better informed. Attendance at meetings appears to reflect the importance of the issue that is being discussed. Community representation has recently been strengthened.

This is one area where Dublin City Council feel there is much to learn from other ENTRUST partners. The Department of Environment provides criteria for the measurement of physical development, the setting of targets and the monitoring of those. Such statistical measures however are not always useful, particularly, in terms of evaluating a community development project where the outputs are not susceptible to quantification. Dublin City Council is interested in learning about other forms of measurement, including qualitative indicators, that might help it to evaluate the implementation of its programmes.

Post regeneration vision    Overall City Strategy