Last updated: December 2024
The Liberties is one of the most recognizable urban areas in Dublin and Ireland, strongly associated with old Dublin, working-class communities, and the brewing and distilling industries. While rich in history, cultural significance, and local stories, The Liberties faces numerous placemaking and quality-of-life challenges. The area continues to experience significant dereliction, a fragmented urban fabric, and a shortage of high-quality green spaces. For instance, tree coverage in The Liberties is sparse, with good-quality street trees only found in a few small areas, such as Gray St. and Reginald St., along the South Quays, Cornmarket, and near the fountain on James St. The area has approximately 1,200 trees, amounting to less than 5% canopy coverage. In response to these challenges, Dublin City Council enacted The Liberties Greening Strategy in 2015. Building on the Liberties' Local Area Plan, this strategy aims to develop a network of new urban parks, improve access to heritage green spaces, and refurbish existing parks and play areas. It addresses multiple goals, including ecological connectivity, water management, flood risk reduction, air quality improvement, social cohesion, environmental education, and public health. This strategy is an initiative of the Parks and Landscape Services Division of Dublin City Council, in collaboration with the South Central Area Office and with input from Áit Urbanism + Landscape and Mary Tubridy & Associates. Since its implementation in 2015, the strategy has resulted in the development of two new community parks, enhancements to several green spaces, and the greening of public spaces. It has also introduced measures to support food production in community gardens and allotments, revitalize ecosystems, strengthen water management, improve air quality, boost carbon sequestration through tree planting, divert water from the local sewer network, prevent flooding, and regulate heat. (1, 2, 3)
Weaver Park
Interlace Hub
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
- Green areas for water management
- Rain gardens
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Climate change mitigation
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Improvements to water quality
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Improving physical health
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Inclusive governance
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social justice and equity
- Social interaction
- Environmental education
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable production
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Urban flooding (stormwater)
- Environmental Degradation
- Air pollution
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Disconnection from nature
- Social fragmentation and isolation
- Poor community engagement
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of green corridors (including connectivity between urban and rural ecosystems), Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments), Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Updated management structure of existing green spaces (e.g. parks), Urban reforestation, restoration of street trees, Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Implementation of green areas for water management (e.g. rain gardens), Transformation of previously derelict areas, Transformation of vacant land into green spaces, Strategy, plan or policy development, Creation of city-wide or neighborhood green and blue infrastrcuture protection or enhancement strategies/plans, Community-based programs (e.g. "Green Your Laneway Program"), Improved governance of green or blue areas, Establishment of inclusive governance mechanisms involving local communities
Project objectives
The goals of the Liberties Greening Strategy are to:
1. Contribute positively to the image and identity of the Liberties Area and provide benefits to the health and well being of the residents
2. Provide a range of recreational opportunities which could include; play areas, community gardens, allotments, exercise opportunities, places to gather and have community events, places to relax, walk the dog and meet neighbors
3. Restore vacant lots into multi-functional green infrastructure
4. Capitalise on the benefits of the existing green spaces such as improving access to green spaces associated with de consecrated churches and archaeological sites
5. Ensure all children living and residents access to high quality green space
6. Provide a long term proposal for food production in the form of allotments and community gardens
7. Enhancing the biodiversity of the area by improving habitats for native plants
8. Improve carbon sequestration, air quality and shaded areas (heat islands) with tree planting
9. Improve water management and quality
10. Offer environmental education
11. Involve the local community in decision making processes (1)
Implementation activities
The Liberties Environmental Improvement Plan founded in 2015 has involved a variety of activities including:
1. Drafting the Liberties Greening Strategy under policy by Dublin City Council as part of the Dublin City Development Plan 2011-2017 (1).
2. Built the strategy as a collaborative effort with the South Central Area Office, Áit Urbanism + Landscape and grassroots activism in the area (3).
3. Consulted with the community in regards to the proposal and the design process of the development of two new parks through citizen councils (3).
4. Opened an award winning park (Weaver Park) in 2017 (4).
5. Opened Bridgefoot Street Park with a high community engagement process (4).
6. Redesigned St Audoen’s Park at High Street with its remnants of Dublin’s old city walls, now includes a memorial garden to children who lost their lives in the events of Easter 1916 (4).
7. Redesigned Peace Park at Christchurch Place, which was long closed, is now a beautiful peaceful enclave along the busy Dubline route (4).
8. Redesigned St Patrick’s Park (4).
9. Built a new landscaped area at Marrowbone Lane bringing trees and greenery to the area (4).
10. Ongoing conservation projects at St Catherine’s Park off Thomas Street and the historic St James Graveyard on James Street (4).
11. Greening of key routes through the area including Patrick Street-Nicholas Street and High Street and Cornmarket (4).
12. Planted 100 tree and flower planters from Christchurch Cathedral to James Street (4)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
Climate change mitigation:
- Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Restore native species
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Deliberative decision-making processes (e.g., consensus building, deliberative polling)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
-The initiating body of the project is Parks and Landscape Services Division of Dublin City Council (3).
-Community members are involved in the design, and feedback process of the project through citizen councils (3).
- the South Central Area Office is a collaborator in the project (3).
-The strategy was prepared with the assistance of Áit Urbanism + Landscape and Mary Tubridy & Associates as a result of grassroots activism (3).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The Strategy is part of Dublin City Development Plan 2011-2017. )
Type of enablers
Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships), Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Expected lowered local temperature
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Expected improved air quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Expected improved water quality
- Increased protection against flooding
- Expected increased protection against flooding
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Expected increased green space area
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Expected reduced biodiversity loss
Economic impacts
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Expected increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Attraction of business and investment
- Expected attraction of business and investment
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Expected improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Expected increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Expected increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Expected protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Expected increased support for education and scientific research
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Dublin City Council (2015). The Liberties Greening Strategy . [Source link];
2.
Dublin City Council (n.d.). The Liberties Greening Strategy. [Source link];
3.
Interlace Hub (2023). Liberties Greening Strategy - Dublin. [Source link];
4.
The Liberties Dublin (2020). Greening The Liberties: Five Years on. [Source link];
5.
Central Statistics Office (2022). Census Interactive Map. [Source link];
Area Wide Strategy
Dublin City Council.
Liberties Strategy
https://landscape.coac.net/en/node/1135
Liberties Strategy
https://landscape.coac.net/en/node/1135
Liberties Strategy
https://landscape.coac.net/en/node/1135
Liberties Strategy
https://landscape.coac.net/en/node/1135
Liberties Strategy
https://landscape.coac.net/en/node/1135
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.