Higher density housing is essential if Dublin is to develop as a sustainable city where people can enjoy a lively and pleasant urban lifestyle in the new millennium, according to the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.
In a report published yesterday, the RIAI recommended a partial restoration of tax relief for investors in rented housing - abolished after last year's Bacon Report on house prices - but only in designated areas along high-quality public transport routes.
The report, complied by Dr Eugene Gribben, architect and planner, said "the key to developing a higher density, better-designed and more sustainable city lies in the link between land use and transportation".
"An integrated land use/transportation system would see a `densification' of population along the public transport corridors already identified by the Dublin Transportation Office as the most sustainable way of developing the city", Dr Gribben said.
At present, Dublin was unique among the historic cities of Europe in having a gross population density comparable to the sprawling mass of Los Angeles. Its "footprint" was far bigger than other European cities with comparable populations, such as Brussels or Turin.
Dr Gribben said an analysis of the areas served by the planned Luas light rail network had a population density below 2,000 per square kilometre in outlying areas and only exceeding 4,000 per sq km in the city. This compared with a density of 9,000 per sq km in Grenoble.
Given that Luas had been inspired by Grenoble's successful tramway system, he said this disparity "underlines the crucial need to increase population and housing densities" to ensure maximum value from the investment in Luas and ensure its long-term viability.
With continued prosperity, household size in Dublin and other Irish cities could drop to two persons per dwelling over the next 15 years. This would generate the need for almost 200,000 additional dwellings in Dublin alone, with "profound consequences" for the region.
According to Dr Gribben, a car-based transportation strategy "flies in the face" of commitments made to limit the growth of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions, quite apart from encouraging further sprawl. "In simple terms, cities which rely on cars do not work".
He said UK studies had found cities with higher population densities enjoyed a greater variety of urban activities and a richer community life. People tended to live within walking or cycling distance of their workplaces or had access to good public transport.
Dr Gribben proposed that "over-abundant public spaces" in the outer Dublin suburbs, often attracting anti-social behaviour, could be developed for energy-efficient housing, while backland sites in the inner suburbs could provide sites for new houses and apartments.
The report, entitled The Housing Crisis - Is Higher Density a Solution?, is based on the proceedings of a conference organised by the RIAI and the Irish Planning Institute. It is available from the RIAI, 8 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, price £20.
