Hidden City

A HIDDEN CITY PROPOSING A FRACTURE IN THE HISTORIC CITY FABRIC TO CREATE A PATH FOR EMERGENT PUBLIC SPACES WITHIN THE NETWORK OF GEORGIAN LANES.

A HIDDEN CITY PROPOSING A FRACTURE IN THE HISTORIC CITY FABRIC TO CREATE A PATH FOR EMERGENT PUBLIC SPACES WITHIN THE NETWORK OF GEORGIAN LANES.

Supervised by Pamela Heaney, Limerick School of Art and Design, Limerick Institute of Technology & Adam de Eyto, Head of School of Design, University of Limerick

Submitted to the Limerick Institute of Technology, March 2018

Research was funded through Limerick City of Culture 2014

Title: A Hidden City - Proposing a fracture in the historic city fabric to create a path for emergent public spaces within the network of Georgian lanes.

Written by Eleanor Moloney ID No. K00192946

“Declaration The work presented in this thesis is the original work of the author, under the direction of “Title”. “First Name” “Second Name” and due reference has been made, where necessary, to the work of others. No part of this thesis has been previously submitted to LIT or any other Institute.” __________________ _________________ Research Candidate First Name Initial. Surname Date _______________________ _________________ Lead Supervisor First Name Initial, Surname Date

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to my mentors, Pamela Heaney, Limerick School of Art and Design, Limerick Institute of Technology and Adam de Eyto, Head of School of Design, University of Limerick for their unending patience, advice and support throughout this study.

There have been many contributors throughout this study such as my colleagues in the ‘Georgian Lab”, School of Architecture, Jennifer O’Riordan, “The Makers Cooperative” including Ger Walsh, Noel Brown Lucia, Pola, Niki McMahon and John Logan, all those who took the time to participate in the Productive Fragments competition and Morgan Flynn, SAUL, Michael McLaughlin, FabLab and Sheila Deegan, Limerick City & County Council for judging the competition, my colleagues in Small Town Studio and of course Michael, Doireann and Oonagh for all their help and support.

Thank you.

“YOU CAN'T RELY ON BRINGING PEOPLE DOWNTOWN, YOU HAVE TO PUT THEM THERE.” - (JACOBS 1961, p238)

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CONTENTS ABSTRACT 9 INTRODUCTION 13 HISTORICAL CONTEXT

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COLLABORATIONS 25 GEORGIAN LAB 25 BETA BLOCK 29 PRODUCTIVE FRAGMENTS 31 MAKERS HOUSING COOPERATIVE 33 CONCLUSION 36 RESEARCH 39 A FLAWED BEAUTY 41 CREATING SPACE FOR DIVERSITY 47 A CENTRAL ARTERY 51 HIDDEN CITY ANIMATION 55 DESIGN PROPOSAL

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LANE LIFE

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CONCLUSION 94 EXHIBITION 100 REFERENCES LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 104 BIBLIOGRAPHY 106 LIST OF REFERENCES 110 APPENDICES 113 APPENDIX A - MEWS LANES PROJECT 115 APPENDIX B - PRODUCTIVE FRAGMENTS 167 APPENDIX C - LITERATURE REVIEW 189

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ABSTRACT It is 2018 and Limerick City centre appears to have resisted all attempts to spark regeneration. Its beautiful Georgian Architecture has stubbornly remained unoccupied, undervalued and untouched. Using the heritage resources of a city is never a simple matter of preserving some structures and hoping that this will make a contribution to the contemporary objectives of regeneration. Paradoxically, both Ireland and Limerick are undergoing a housing crisis as a result of the collapse of the construction industry during the recession.

The Author examines some of the reasons why these Georgian houses continue to remain empty despite the urgent demand for accommodation and attempts to understand the reasons behind this stagnation through analysing the networks and the relations among the fundamental systems and structures operating within Limerick City.

The authors role in developing the research was to focus on the scope of the project content, through a number of different methods. Firstly, an examination of the historical context of the city forms a framework to understanding how the Georgian City came into being. Data on the Mews Lanes was obtained by conducting a city-wide audit, using mapping and photography to document the nature and extent of the lanes. By organising, participating and collaborating in various group settings, a grass roots approach was cultivated to devise strategic proposal for the regeneration Georgian Limerick. This research methodology was suplemented by examining the city at varying scales, using established texts from well-known urbanists such as Jane Jacobs and Jan Gehl until a deep, understanding of the “system” of the city fabric had been developed.

Outside the orthodox architectural principles of urban renewal, the author examined the philosophy of Wabi Sabi, japanese ceramics and the astute observations of writer Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, to provide an overarching concept through which the monumnetality of Georgian Limerick could be understood along with its historical significance to the cultural identity of the city.

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Cast Concrete Models on display in LSAD, Limerick

Figure 1.0

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ABSTRACT This paper offers a modest proposal that is significant enough to create space for regeneration, whilst being mindful of the existing city infrastructure. The Author considers the potential of the city’s Mews Lanes as a means of creating an emergent space that could stimulate the regeneration of the city at a scale that respects the historic fabric and holds the possibility of accommodating contemporary urban life. In particular, this study has identified a one km stretch of lane that is for the most part existing that could form a pedestrian and people-centred spine through the Georgian core with minimal disruption to the existing flows of the city. Along this artery the Author proposes that housing, commercial, cultural and recreational space can be placed allowing the revitalisation of the Georgian block to occur from within. The 1km lane proposal has the potential to then spread to other lanes creating a network of small scale urban interventions with the ambition of a city wide regeneration.

The final output of the research has been three models for public exhibition. The cast concrete model, explains the monumentality of a historic city fabric through a 5m long hand cast model of 9 city blocks at a scale of 1:500. The next model is a 1:50 model of the “Belltable� block and a proposed intervention of housing, an outdoor theatre and cafe space and a small, intimate, secluded park. The third model is an animation that attempts to portray the 1km lane at a human scale, showing the light, shadow, activites and sounds that might be observed in this pedestrian artery.

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Catherine Place, Limerick City

Figure 1.1

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INTRODUCTION The city is a living organism, growing, changing and decaying. It is a network of complex symbiotic relationships that are often difficult to analyse in isolation. For many years, Limerick City had suffered from the arbitrary condition of being located within several local authority boundaries, each carving out a piece of the city for its own benefit and ensuring the rapid decline of the city centre, in particular, the Georgian Quarter. A curious result of this process, is that the city now acts like a dense collection of independent small towns, while the city centre is constantly undervalued leaving large holes in the urban fabric. These unproductive spaces create a sense of discomfort, as if part of the living tissue of the city has died or is in the process of decaying. Our basic requirement for our cityscape, demands all spaces to be productive, anything less than this is perceived as a cavity, a sign of decay and there is always a threat that this decay will spread.

Years of negative economic growth and commercial decline has compounded these problems in the City Centre. The immutable nature of the historic Georgian buildings has created obstacles to almost all commercially viable proposals to inhabit the city centre, while competing with cheaper suburban housing and box commercial units on the outskirts of the city. However this presents an opportunity to propose a “reimagining” of Limerick’s Georgian core and how it might be re-inhabited again.

While the existing city fabric has enormous potential for providing spaces to live and work, there is also a growing social issue beginning to emerge as a result of years of austerity and lack of investment in social infrastructure. Homelessness in on the increase and the number of families having to live in emergency accommodation is growing daily. This is in part due to a change in legislation that has allowed banks to repossess the family home, as well as a lack of employment opportunities and reduced funding to Local Authorities to provide social housing. In Limerick alone the number of people on the Local Authority Housing List in March 2016 was 4000, down from a peak of 5120 the previous September (Sheridan 2016 ).

In the rare instances where social housing is being constructed there’s often vocal opposition (Woulfe 2017).

The national strategy to address the housing crisis is to use building regulations to compel developers to include some social housing provision such as the Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000.

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8000

Social Housing Construction in Ireland, 1995-2015 1,685

1,896

4,986

4,905

Voluntary & Co-operative Local Authority

1,617

6000

1,360

1,530 1,607

1,253 4,403 4,516

4000

3,539

1,011 917 2,960

2,676

756 2,632

485 2,771

3,622

579 2,909

1,240

2,011

3,968

3,539

3,362

951 2,204

753

2000

1,326

745 486

0

1995

1997 1996

1999 1998

2001 2000

2003 2002

2005 2004

2007 2006

2009 2008

653 363

2011 2010

211 293

357 158

401 75

2013 2012

2015

2014

Source: Dept. of the Environment

Social Housing Construction in Ireland, 1995 - 2015

Figure 1.2

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INTRODUCTION As part of the revised building regulations Part V attempts to make provision for housing by compelling developers to agree to one of the following as a contribution to the Local Authority:

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Building and transfer of houses

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Transfer of houses on land off-site

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Grant of a lease of houses on or off-site

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A combination of transfer of land under s.96(3)(a) and options under s.96(3)(b)

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A combination of 2 or more of the options

Although there is some increase in activity in the construction industry, there’s still not enough momentum to assume this increase coupled with Part V contributions are going to be enough to tackle the issue of affordable housing levels (see figure 1.2). “Critics of the Government say that while housebuilding activity is clearly increasing, it is not happening fast enough to ease the crisis” (Slattery 2017).

So for now it lies with private landlords to provide housing for the most vulnerable in our society, through social wefare and rental supplements from the Dept. of Social Welfare. This has worked reasonably well in the short term, but the banks have become more “risk adverse” (Competition and Consumer Protection Commission 2017) and not have they become more cautious about lending. Therefore the natural attrition

that would have occurred with people moving from the rental market into owning their own homes has stalled thereby putting increasing pressure on the rental market. With the cost of rent increasing, ineffective legislative rental caps in place and low provision of social housing, the country has successfully managed to move from a housing bubble, to a housing bust and now a housing crisis.

Bearing in mind that Ireland has a housing crisis at the moment, it is difficult to understand how the entire city centre of the country’s third largest city has remained stubbornly empty. This work is an attempt to understand why this is the case and reveal the means by which introducing those that need homes can occupy an empty city centre to the benefit of all.

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Historical Illustration of Colles Plan for Newtown Pery

Figure 2.1

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT Although there are references to settlements in Limerick in pre-viking times, Limerick is generally recognised as a viking settlement from the year 812AD. The Vikings used Limerick as base to launch attacks on the many settlements and monasteries located along the river Shannon. Little remains of “Viking” Limerick, with the exception of perhaps the place names such as Athlunkard Street. The Irish name of which, Áth Longphuirt, meaning “ford of the longphort,” refers to a 9th-century Viking longphort (ship encampment) once located at that ford over the Shannon (Farry 2000).

The arrival of the Normans in the 12th century created much of the city as we know it today. With the construction of the impressive King John’s castle, St. Mary’s Cathedral and of course the city wall the Normans left an enduring mark on the city. These structures are situated on King’s Island which is an island located at the confluence of the Abbey River and the Shannon. Much of the present day street pattern, including Nicolas Street, can be traced back 800 years ago. The “Island” is the oldest part of Limerick and has been in decline for many decades. Attempts to kick start a tourist industry here has been thwarted by a lack of social cohesion and involvement with the local community. Today some of the most socially disadvantaged citizens of Limerick live here and seven years ago this area was included as one of the Limerick Regeneration areas (Tierney 2016).

During medieval times the city endured three sieges, and in the years that followed Limerick began to expand well beyond the original city walls across the Abbey River to form Irishtown to the south east. Fortifications were expanded to enclose Irishtown from 1320 onwards, giving Limerick its particular hourglass shapes that can be seen in many early maps (see figure 2.2). The two distinct parts of the city were joined at Baal’s Bridge and enclosed by the city wall which took almost 200 years to complete. Unfortunately in the years after the treaty had been signed, much of the wall was torn down to allow the city to expand. However the shape and pattern of the medieval streets in Irishtown remain intact even to this day. To move from the Milk Market to St. John’s Square involves negotiating a labyrinth of small narrow streets, not ideally suited to our car dependent society.

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Historical Illustration of Medieval Limerick, showing Irishtown and Englishtown “hourglass”

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Figure 2.2

HISTORICAL CONTEXT “Much of the spectacular urban development that transformed Limerick after 1750 is associated with Edmund Sexton Pery.”(O’Flaherty 2005). In the 18th century Limerick was enjoying a period of peaceful political stability and trading ships from America led to increased prosperity and the rise of a wealthy middle class society. In 1769, Christopher Colles was commissioned by Edmund Pery to design a speculative plan for a new town on his estate, to the south of the city, which became known as Newtown Pery. In contrast to the intricate layout of medieval Limerick, Colles devised an elegant grided of equal blocks with a central thoroughfare that had an elegant cresent at either end. (see figure 2.1). Italian Architect David Ducart was commissioned to design the impressive Custom’s House, now know as the Hunt Museum, which remains one of the cities finest examples of Georgian Architecture.

Colles Plan for Newtown Perry was an ambitious, elegant, and speculative drawing that reimagined the expansion of Limerick along the bank of the Shannon adjoining Englishtown on King’s Island and Irishtown to the north. The legacy of this plan has given Limerick a formidable Georgian infrastructure which in many ways forms a crucial part of Limerick’s identity. There are several precedents where the cultural value placed Georgian architecture has led to the revival of the overall city. Places such as Dublin, Bath and Edinburgh use their Georgian architecture as a means of promoting and identifying the city.

The City Development Plan 2010 - 2016 recognises the Newtown Pery as an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) and describes it as: “The streets of Newtown Pery represent a unique example of 18th and 19th century planning in Ireland. Its initial division of the areas into rectangular lots did not assume its final shape until the 1820s and 1830s, when the last streets, such as Hartstonge Street, Catherine Place and the Crescent, were built. Pery Square, which was never fully realised, was laid out in the 1830s, by which time the era of Georgian building which created the Newtown was coming to an end. The streets leading to The Crescent and Pery Square conform to eighteenth century town planning, defining the streetscape by their adherence to fixed proportions and ordered harmonious symmetry. They combine to form an architectural heritage of great urbanity and considerable beauty. The irregularity which emerged in relation to the treatment of heights, facades, type of 19

buildings combined with the rigid street pattern gives Georgian Limerick a distinct sense of place.� (Limerick City and County Council 2010, p157)

Even during the boom years, 2001 - 2008, when money was widely available for construction and infrastructure projects, Georgian Limerick remained stubbornly overlooked. That decline has been exacerbated in recent years with the economic downturn. On a positive note, the lack of any investment over the years means the city retains a significant amount of original Georgian features, which if revealed and valued could easily return the city to its elegant former glory (see figure 2.3). With funding drastically cut over the past few years, Limerick City Council has been unable to undertake many capital projects themselves. This leaves no option but to work with developers who might understandably view the Georgian buildings as not fit for purpose and possibly more trouble than they are worth.

There is also the curious question of who owns these buildings? The original families that once lived in the Georgian houses have long since left the city but their names still remain on as street names. The council themselves find it difficult to enforce the dereliction orders as often the owner of the property is unknown or unclear. Unfettered dereliction naturally discourages anyone who might see the beauty and potential of these buildings as they will be unsure if adjoining premises will be maintained. The legal framework for enforcing dereliction notices has been strengthened recently with the introduction of a vacant sites levy as part of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act, 2015, and sites that are left vacant in locations that have been identified as having a housing need will be fined (Environment, Community and Local Government 2016).

The Newtown Pery Plan had also designed for industry to be placed along the river docks. Industries such as pig curing and cloth making no longer provide employment for local families. The river front in particu20

O’Connell Street, Limerick

Figure 2.3

lar has a different, more industrial scale to the rest of the Georgian grid. The port authority is still in existence but only just. Most of the business of the docks has been moved downriver to Foynes (Limerick City and County Council 2017). The approach to using these vast tracts of city land along the river has been to

build up rather than along. This leaves an unusual streetscape of empty spaces, carparks, unused quays and multi-storey hotels. The major physical resource that the city has, is the largest river in the country, yet for the most part one can conduct their business in the Limerick without having to interact with the Shannon.

Politically the city has been at a disadvantage for many years too. The city charter is almost as old as Dublin’s, and there has been a municipal government for the past 800 years. However, the area that falls under city control has not kept pace with the expansion of the city. This has resulted in not less than three local authorities working in what most people consider the Limerick City - Clare Co.Co., Limerick Co. Co. and Limerick City Council. Both county councils were able to offer cheaper commercial property rates and free parking to businesses in large shopping malls on the outskirts of the city, while having to provide little by way of city infrastructure or public services. Large suburban housing estates were encouraged and in 2005, the suburb of Castletroy had the fastest growing population in the country. (Research Database of Archive Newspapers 2018). 22,000 new people moved to the highly sought after middle-class area where the Uni-

versity of Limerick was the largest employer. In return for commercial rates and stamp duty collected on these houses the council provided little by way of public buildings such as libraries, bus services and public plazas and much in the overdevelopment of big box shopping malls, large car parks and disconnected car dependent communities. The county councils got rich quick, the city council on the other hand suffered a bleed of high profile businesses that migrated to the suburbs and with them subsidiary businesses such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, cinemas and all those interdependent activities that create city life.

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“A GREAT CITY IS NOT TO BE CONFOUNDED WITH A POPULOUS ONE.” - Aristotle

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Daley’s Lane, Limerick

Figure 3.5

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Illustration showing “Occupation by Use” , Limerick City

Figure 3.1

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COLLABORATIONS

This research undertook both qualitative and quantitative approaches to researching the topic. Initially the

task was set, to establish a “cross disciplinary” approach to identifying a strategy for regenerating the city centre. The author joined and established various groups, which involved participants discussing the issue of housing and inhabiting Georgian Limerick. With respect to the Mews Lanes, all lanes in the area were photographed and mapped. The results were also collated to understand the quality of the existing buildings, the level of inhabitation/use and the potential for future development (Moloney 2015). The following are descriptions several of the collaborations that were undertaken.

GEORGIAN LAB - SAUL INTELLIGENCE UNIT, JULY 2014 In July 2014, this research had an opportunity to collaborate with the “Intelligence Unit” from the School of Architecture, University of Limerick. We studied the challenges facing a renewal of this part of the city with particular emphasis on the “Living Cities Initiative” (Office of the Revenue Commissioners 2014).

This initiative was launched by the government in 2015 as a vehicle for encouraging people to live in our city centres. It essentially offers a tax break on all capital costs associated with investing in housing in the city centre.

The initiative was tested by assuming several scenarios/case studies to research if the cost benefit was enticing enough to stimulate investment. Even though property in Limerick city was selling for as little as 45,000e for a 4 storey Georgian House over basement, the study could not envisage a means by which a family could access enough money to pay for the necessary renovations to update the property. So even though the initiative was generous, it did not address the issues of risk adverse banks and low wages that mark this period of austerity. The research highlighted several other issues that would discourage people to take on these buildings, namely legislative ones such as Building Regulations, Fire Codes and Conservation requirements. Some Georgian owners who had an interest in working with a Georgian house spoke informally to participants of the “Intelligence Unit” and had expressed their frustration that the planning process often involved several departments requiring conflicting information. The departments with these vested interests were often accused of not communicating with one another and so it was left solely to the planning applicant to sort out these conflicts.

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“Living Cities” Illustration

Figure 3.2

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COLLABORATIONS The Georgian houses themselves, particularly the smaller houses presented spatial problems not conducive to contemporary living. In the smaller buildings, the plan is often one room stacked upon another connected over 4 storeys with a generous staircase. (See figure 3.2). In terms of creating a habitable space, rooms connected by a staircase are less desirable than those on the same level. Developers also took issue with these buildings as they were considered too small and potentially not profitable enough to convert into individual apartments on each level, particularly as a secondary staircase would need to be installed to provide an alternative fire exit. The overall dereliction of the Georgian buildings is proving to be an issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. In Limerick, the Georgian facades are mostly constructed using brick and lime mortar which over time become vulnerable to frost, rain and invasive plants. When these buildings are left vacant this process of decay speeds up and can spread along the terrace causing problems in other houses. Limerick City and County Council have powers to deal with this issue under the 1990 Derelict Sites Act, when the following conditions arise: “(a) the existence on the land in question of structures which are in a ruinous, derelict or dangerous condition, or (b) the neglected, unsightly or objectionable condition of the land or any structures on the land in question, or (c) the presence, deposit or collection on the land in question of any litter, rubbish, debris or waste, except where the presence, deposit or collection of such litter, rubbish, debris or waste results from the exercise of a right conferred by statute or by common law� (Irish Statute Book 1990).

However, until recently they have been reluctant to use this power to tackle the rise in dereliction. The process by which this legislation is enforced has been strengthened by the council and now owners if they can be located are given 6 months to remedy the situation or fined 5% of the worth of the building annually. This turn around in policy alone has given rise to a number of properties coming onto the market (see figure 3.4), in recent times.

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“Beta Block”, Open House Limerick 2014,

Figure 3.3

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COLLABORATIONS BETA BLOCK - OPEN HOUSE LIMERICK 2014 Although the outcome of this group research was possibly adept at explaining the issues surrounding the individual Georgian House it also afforded the opportunity to understand the potential of the Georgian Block and it’s existing infrastructure. Possibly the single most fascinating aspect about Newtown Pery was all the public services were planned and installed first which was an incredible feat of engineering. What is currently considered ground level in contemporary Limerick city is in fact several metres above the original topography. Underneath the street there is an extensive drainage system, with cellars directly under the footpaths (see figure 3.7). The cellars were designed to store coal which was emptied through coal hole at street level (see figure 3.8).

As part of Open House Limerick 2014, the author collaborated with a group of local architects to build a 2.5m2 model of a Georgian Block which was exhibited in the Belltable Arts Centre (see figure 3.3). The objective of the model was to initiate a conversation about the potential of these historic buildings to once again house communities. The model filled the atrium of the lobby and showed the scale of the city block and the finesse of Georgian architecture.

Typically behind each Georgian House is another street or Mews Lane. Historically these lanes would have accommodated the “back of house” scenarios like housing horses and carriages and taking deliveries. The houses would also have been home to the stable hands as well as the horses. These days the mews houses mainly remain vacant, derelict or removed entirely. The model only showed the Georgian Houses and the streets, the centre of the block was left empty to demonstrate the enormous amount of space available. If each Georgian house was given a small courtyard to the rear and all the mews houses removed there would be approximately 1.25 acres of public space available to the inhabitants of each block. The model proved an effective talking point, particularly, as the scale allowed people to freely examine the buildings and the space closely. Speculatively speaking, if one were to remove all the mews lanes and additional buildings in the nine Georgian Blocks in the heart of the city and leave only the Georgian buildings there would be over ten acres of empty space in the city centre.

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Illustration showing “properties for sale” in Limerick, on www.daft.ie, June 2015

Figure 3.4

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COLLABORATIONS PRODUCTIVE FRAGMENTS DESIGN COMPETITION - APRIL - JUNE 2015 Following the exhibition of Beta Block, the conversation yet again began to concentrate on all the obstacles related to converting Georgian Limerick into a habitable contemporary spaces. As the discussion around the Georgian Buildings became more complicated and intransigent, the fluid network of mews lanes and alleys presented a remarkably habitable environment. Here, the urban scale is almost domestic, the pedestrian is favoured over the car, even the sounds of the city change here, offering a sanctuary from the chaos. Some mews houses of significant architectural or historical merit have protection but over the years many have been abandoned, adapted or even demolished. The potential of these lanes with their existing infrastructure, diminished historical significance and wonderful scale has the potential to create a quick affordable solution to reinhabiting the city centre.

Having successfully obtained funding with Irish Design 2015, an ideas competition was held to encourage designers of all disciplines to design a strategic concept for inhabiting this network of lanes. Using built structures, furniture, plants, fabric or perhaps graphics the wining entry would explore ideas of a parasitic approach to reinhabiting the historic city fabric. The competition was to encourage designs that act as plugins, infill, concepts that possess a symbiotic or additive nature and when placed in a historically loaded context encourage a mutually beneficial living environment.

Despite best efforts to the contrary, the open ideas competition was mainly subscribed to by the architecture community. While entrants were of a high quality they seemed to only deal with the immediate spatial issues of the Georgian Limerick, but avoided the social and cultural aspects of what exactly might be needed to create an ecosystem that encouraged the inhabitation of the city centre (see appendix b).

Although few of the issues previously highlighted had been addressed it was felt that focus needed to be placed on who might live in Limerick city centre and how might this be supported? With considered reflection, the author realised that an ideas exhibition, while generating considerable interest in the lanes, a slower, more deliberate grassroots response was required in order to create the environment from which 31

“Limerick City Model”, by FAB LAB

Figure 3.6

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COLLABORATIONS

change could emerge. To this end, it was felt that, adopting a hands-on approach and coordinating a small group interested in living in the city might achieve more than the “Big Idea”, which has stubbornly refused to gain traction. In the words of Jane Jacobs, “You can’t rely on bringing people downtown, you have to put them there.” (JACOBS 1961, p238) MAKERS HOUSING COOPERATIVE - SEPT 2015 - JUNE 2016 When looking for accomplices to consider living in Limerick City, the Author found an existing group of people within FabLab, Limerick located on Rutland Street, opposite the Hunt Museum. FabLab began several years previously as a course at the School of Architecture, University of Limerick. Through funding from Limerick City of Culture 2014, FabLab expanded and set up premises in an empty building in the city centre owned by Limerick City Council. It currently provides open source 3D printers, CNC routers and laser cutters for use by the general public as well as holding educational courses for creatives from all disciplines. Many of the people using this facility were in their 20’s and 30’s, who had graduated into the

recession, were carving out a living making/creating things and were on the whole a socially minded set of individuals.

Having discussed the potential of the Georgian Quarter, with several of the “Makers” in FabLab it was considered that the next natural step was to form a housing co-op in an attempt to find themselves affordable homes by working collectively. The group to looked at the abandoned network of mews lanes that secretly weave through Limerick’s beautiful Georgian city centre as well as the entirely empty and affordable Georgian buildings to try and find a way to create homes for themselves. The diversity of the group was distinctive and ranged both in age and discipline from recent architecture graduates, engineers, a filmmaker/ graphic designer to a retired history professor. Was it possible that within the potential of this motley crew lay a viable alternative to urban regeneration? A network of people forming a community in a network of lanes.

Historically, Irelands struggle for independence has always been inextricably linked with the struggle to gain tenure. Organisations such as the Land League emerged as a strong political force through attempting 33

to gain land rights for tenant farmers and householders. Following the establishment of the Free State, asserting ownership rights and securing rights for tenants became a central tenet of the new state. By 1950, a rehousing policy began, with rise of suburbs to house those citizens who had previously dwelled in inner city slums and in the 1970’s local authorities provided financial assistance in the form of grants or low cost mortgages for people to build or buy their own homes. Housing cooperatives were encouraged by financial assistance, and in several cases started by gardaí, teachers and other professionals whereby a site was purchased and developed collectively to provide individual units of housing. By 1980, in Ireland 41% of housing was subsidised in some form or another by the Government (Norris & Fahey p8 (2010).

The Makers Housing Cooperative began to look not just at the potential of vacant properties but also the historical and existing precedents, in order to discover a strategy that best suited the aims of the group.

There are several different mechanisms by which social housing is facilitated by the State. Social Housing is a term used to describe houses that are provided by the state at low cost to its citizens. In this process the Council acts as the Landlord and has established a scheme of letting priorities, under which they choose people from the housing list for housing based on these priorities such as age (the elderly), medical issues (people with disabilities), standard of their current accommodation and an urgent change in their situation.

There is a limited public housing stock in Limerick City of 3200 dwellings and there are currently 4000 applicants on the current housing list within the city confines and approximately 200 dwellings become available (vacant) each year. At present and over the past few years there has been no funding available to increase the supply of social housing. The applicants follow a process whereby they fill in a housing application with the Local Authority. They are called for assessment within 3 months and based on this assessment a decision is made to place the applicant on the Housing List The income threshold in Limerick City and County is 30,000e for a single person and 36,000e for a family (The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government 2016).

Housing Associations in Limerick City and Country were generally established 20 - 30 years ago and are mostly run on a voluntary basis. These are small local organisations with charitable status. There are 37 housing associations in Co. Limerick, and with 5-6 organisations located in the city itself (The Depart34

COLLABORATIONS

ment of Housing, Planing and Local Government 2018). All would have received initial funding from the

Dept of the Environment up to 95% with the remaining 5% provided by the local authority in the form of land provided at a nominal fee. In the county most associations tend to provide housing for elderly people living in unsuitable isolated rural accommodation. In these cases schemes generally tend to take the form of communal housing. Those applicants availing of these schemes must come from the local authority housing list and 75% of those must be nominated by the local authority, priority is generally given to those applicants that are local to the area. The age limit for applicants was 55 yrs old, but in recent years that age limit has been increased.There are also other larger national organisations that operate under these schemes such as Focus and Clúid. These bodies are organised with a Board of Directors and have paid staff running the housing schemes. The schemes generally provide 1 - 2 bedroom units but there are some family type schemes. Following coversations with both Clúid and Dromcollogher Community Housing Association in 2015, they identified the main funding streams for social housing in Ireland in 2015 as: *Capital Assistance Scheme (95% government funding fund has almost completely dried up) ** Capital Loan Subsidy (involves 30% government funding and 70% private finance, in-kind work, land /site donation) The Makers group met each Wednesday night in Fablab to discuss each of the approaches and weigh up the pros and cons in terms of establishing a model through which the group might achieve its aims. The Local Authority didn’t have the funding to expand their current housing stock. Housing Associations that are nationwide organisations have access to the relevant bodies to gain funding and also have experience to deal with all the requirements but have little local knowledge and understanding. Local Housing Associations, have great grass roots support however are tied to local attitudes and beliefs. Housing Co-ops and co-housing projects may provide a workable model that bridges the gap between social housing and private home ownership, and has the potential to provide a platform that exploits the funding available to both.

However having exhausted all avenues to gain funding, loans, mortgages etc. the group began to dissolve as the obstacles appeared insurmountable and the barriers time consuming to overcome. It is this authors opinion that this is an area that has enormous potential for future research, but was not possible within the scope of this study.

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CONCLUSION In total, the author spent a year attempting to form collaborations from multi-disciplinary groups to try to understand the scope of regenerating a historic city centre. The author did not have a framework on which to base these methods of collaboration and that possibly is one of the main reasons that the study didn’t gain as much from the collaborations as it could have. Although the Author’s training as a teacher helped in addressing groups of people, another skill set was required to produce effective results through collaboration. Designing an inter-disciplinary approach, was even more difficult. Although everyone involved in the research and the general public displayed a keen interest and strong opinions on regenerating Georgian Limerick, all concluded that they felt they didn’t have the skills to address the problem directly and generally felt it fell under the remit of Architect, Planners and perhaps Politicians. For the most part the collaborations grew organically, through networking with others who were also interested in Georgian Limerick.

In this way, methodologies emerged rather than were strictly designed into undertaking each collaboration.

In the Georgian Lab the Author joined an already established academic group who had experience working with large scale urban design proposals for Limerick city centre. Working with this group offered the opportunity for structured group research, and peer reviews and there was a significant overlap between the objectives of the Intelligence Unit at the School of Architecture, University of Limerick and this authors field of study. The advantage of working within this group structure afforded the author opportunity to gain insight from the experience and focus of the wider group within the School of Architecture. Through this collaboration information on housing, dereliction and government policy was quickly accessed and disseminated by the group. The Author acknowledges that there was very little scope within this scenario for an inter-disciplinary input as the group was comprised of architects and the work was reviewed by architects.

This collaboration gave the research a “quick-start” which was necessary and hugely beneficial for a topic that has such an extensive scope. This collaboration formed the foundation of the research work, clarified the parameters and focus of the study.

The Beta Block collaboration emerged as part of Open House Limerick 2014, with a group of four architects including the author. As a collaboration it was one of the more reasonably successful collaboration methods employed, in terms of examining the larger question of urban regeneration. The model was constructed through groupwork and discussion and it provided a platform through which a discussion could be launched with a larger public audience through workshops held over a weekend in October 2014. The 36

COLLABORATIONS

general feedback over the Open House weekend of the exhibition was largely positive from those in the

public to saw it. It offered the oppotunity to examine the structure of one of the Georgian blocks in detail and revealed the potential of the interior of the block as an engine to regenerate the Georgian Quarter.

In order to secure a more interdisciplinary approach to the question of urban regeneration in Georgian Limerick the Author developed a design ideas competition which was opened to the public using a website, posters, social media and through contacting schools of art and design. The survey of the Mews Lanes served as a basis for the competition and was published online under creative commons license that could be accessed by all. The data from the online publication views suggested that news of the competition had reached at least 2000 people and there were 20 online enquiries but in the end 8 people entered the competition all of whom were architects. To some extent the timing of the competition was flawed as, end of year exams were just finished, by the end of May/June and perhaps few students were nterested in creating another design proposal. The outcome of the competition was interesting and the two wining designs, looked at the pathways and the other which looked that nodes centred in each of the blocks. It was the least successful of the collaborative approaches because it was based online and not local enough. But it reinforced the central thesis of this study that the main potential of Georgian Limerick lay not just in the Georgian houses but the interior of the blocks.

Forming the Maker’s Housing Cooperative was the most focused and clearly designed collaborative endeavour of the research study. The aim was to cultivate a locally based housing cooperative interested in living in the city centre of Limerick. As the research was focused on the network of lanes, it was appropriate to look at an emergent network of people working in the newly formed fabrication lab, located in the city centre. This inter-disciplinary group was formed using word-of-mouth, and attracted people who were interested and well informed about city regeneration. The meetings were focused and those who attended were eager to explore all means to create a housing collective. There were two issues with this method.

Those who were working at the time, where essentially working in the “gig� economy and although they were fully committed to the cooperative they weren't always available for meetings because of work and there was a lack of continuity in the scheme. Secondly the Author had no housing need, so there was a potential conflict of interest between pushing the project in a direction while sharing no risk in the scheme.

Overall the collaboration, reinforced the lanes as best approach for the provision of housing, as bank lenders would only look at simple ownership proposals in terms of mortgages and the Mews houses could provide this singular property approach within the larger block community.

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Coal Stores Public Drains

Coal Stores

38

Attic

Servant’s Quarters

2nd Floor

Bedrooms

Piano Nobile

Reception Rooms

Ground Floor

Work/Office

Basement

Kitchen

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Mews

Mews Mews Lane

A section through a Georgian Block

Figure 3.7

39

Illustrations showing examples of coal holes and boot scapers

Figure 3.8

40

RESEARCH A FLAWED BEAUTY In addition to the almost intractable problems addressing the pressing need for social housing, trying to reinhabit an existing historic city centre adds yet another layer of complexity. Limerick seems to be caught between two approaches to dealing with what is now known as the Georgian Quarter. Those who appreciate the historic city fabric like the Georgian Society, the academic researchers, and the general population tend to resist any change that they feel might lead to further deterioration of important historic artefacts infrastructure et cetera. On the other hand those interested in developing the commercial infrastructure of the city see the historic buildings as being essentially problematic. They are costly and expensive to update and renovate in a compliant manner. In fact, current building code specifically makes it difficult to render these buildings useful again. It is not in anybody’s interest that these buildings continue to remain vacant.

There is certainly room to improve cooperation between the Local Authority and the owners and investors of the Georgian buildings so that renovating these buildings can be made appealing. Likewise it is important to retain as much of the original Georgian fabric as possible so that Limericks cultural heritage can be celebrated and admired (See Figure 3.8). These seemingly opposing approaches between these two philosophies require a new approach that allows the historic fabric to be retained while allowing the new space for an emergent contemporary city living.

While attempting to design this emergent space, the Author discovered the eastern philosophy of Wabi Sabi.

This is a Japanese celebration of flawed beauty and an appreciation of the patina of time on a cherished object. Wabi Sabi is a traditional Japanese philosophy of aesthetics that appreciates beauty through an understanding of transience and imperfection. A beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent and incomplete”. It originates from the buddhist culture that perceives existence through impermanence, suffering and emptiness. There are several recognisable characteristics of wabi-wabi aesthetic often seen in Japanese pottery and ceramic work. Among those valued characteristics include asymmetry, roughness, austerity, modesty, simplicity and the integrity of natural objects and processes. Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect. “ What incredible pains the fancier of traditional architecture must take when he sets out to build a 41

An example of kintsugi

Figure 4.1

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house in pure Japanese style, striving somehow to make electric wires, gas pipes and water lines harmonise with the austerity of Japanese rooms”(Tanizaki 1977, p1).

In his book, “In Praise of Shadows” (1977), Tanizaki, highlights the difficulty of working in a classical manner while contemporaneously attempting to introduce the necessary services for modern life. To the point where all decisions feel like compromises culminating in a sense of failure to maintain the concept of beauty. It also applies to the raging of beauty, when in the end entropy will have its say. For example in a historic city fabric, decaying over time, the city can improve its beauty through this aging process by the maintaining habits of its citizens. When describing the beauty of japanese toilets, Tanizaki admires this patina of age, “No matter how fastidious one may be or how diligently one may scrub, dirt will show, particularly on a floor of wood or tatami matting.” (Tanizaki 1977, p5) The percerption of time in this grubiness has the effect of grounding us in a fast-paced world. “ if indeed “elegance is frigid”, it can as well be described as filthy. There is no denying at any rate, that among the elements of the elegance in which we take such delight is a measure of the unclean, the unsanitary” (Tanizaki 1977, p11).The patina of time introduces the dimension of time into Architecture and explains the appeal of historic buildings.

He proposes an understanding of space, based on one’s senses, where the gentleness of natural light and subtle shadows, presents an alternative to Western innovation. It offers a glimpse into a different style of modernity that is not merely romanticising simpler times but proposes a world, in which technology is more muted. Within the well-lit world of western civilisation and efficiency, a more nuanced space can emerge through the patina of time and wear. “ In making for ourselves a place to live, we first spread a parasol to throw a shadow on the earth, and in the pale light of the shadow, we put together a house.” (Tanizaki 1977, p17)

Tanzaki believes that it is the Western preoccupation with innovation and advancement through technological improvements that leads to a lack of appreciation of the the present, delighting in the present rather than erasing it through progress. “ We Orientals tend to seek our satisfaction in whatever surroundings we happen to find ourselves with things as they are; and so darkness causes us no discontent, we resign ourselves to it as inevitable.......The Westerner is determined always to better his lot. From candle to oil lamp, oil 43

lamp to gas light, gaslight to electric light never ceases, he spares no pains to eradicate even the minutest shadow” (Tanizaki 1977, p31).

In Praise of Shadows, Tanizaki understands the power of the feelings that and architectural space can evoke. He advocates space for quiet reflection and repose and envisions a living space that is less dynamic and more subtle. This design approach requires both a subtle hand and a measure of restraint in an era when it is possible to virtually design and construct anything. “We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the pattern of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates” (Tanizaki 1977, p18).

However, he understands the need to have a measured view of the past as“ The older we get the more we seem to think that everything was better in the past” (Tanizaki 1977, p39). When too much respect is paid to the historical city fabric, it will lead to a stagnation through which contemporary life cannot be accommodated or through replication which would result in an architecture of contrivance.

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Cast Concrete Model

Figure 4.2

An example of Wabi Sabi is the art of Kin Tsugi. Kin Tsugi is a japanese method employed for the mending of ceramics. It consists of two words, “Kin” meaning gold and “Tsugi” meaning joinery. Using lacquer and powdered gold, craftsmen repair broken ceramics exposing and celebrating the cracks and flaws (see figure 4.1). This is not reserved for expensive irreplaceable pieces of pottery but used on ordinary, modest pieces.

Legend has it that KinTsugi may have originated, in the late 15th century, when a powerful Japanese military leader sent a favourite damaged tea bowl to China for repairs. It was repaired with clumsy staplesand the owner appealed to local craftspeople to undertake a more beautiful method of repairing it.

Although, in designing an urban intervention as large as this, the Author relied heavily on the works of several urbanists to guide the design, the works of Kin Sugi and Junichiro Tanizaki’s “In Praise of Shadows” provided the Author with the design concept. They steered the Author towards the mews lanes and their potential to create a fissure in the formidable Georgian Blocks, which would allow a “new beauty” to 45

Beta Block Model

Figure 4.3

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emerge. As the mews lanes began to resemble the cracks in broken pottery, all the research proposal needed was apply the gold laquer.

With this in mind my first move was to cast a concrete model. The historic and cultural value that is placed upon objects which have occupied space for a long time, grows and solidifies rendering the objects untouchable and enviable. This is a difficult and almost impossible position to begin any design proposal.

The cast concrete model provided a means of understanding this concept and a means of understanding the immutable nature of this 250 year old masterpiece. It was through a commitment to casting in concrete, I began to understand the fallibility of the handmade object. Sometimes the casts were made incorrectly or the coloured mixes had variations. Often they needed to be adapted slightly by grinding and sanding to make the fit. Casting is an act of confidence, a commitment with no room for error. Hand-making is an acceptance of variation and imperfection. The philosophy of Wabi-Sabi helps with this.

The model also afforded me the opportunity of seeing the potential of using a small narrow lane to penetrate the cast buildings and the space that this creates to make room for the regeneration of the blocks from the interior out. It cracks open the imposed cultural solidity of the space.

CREATING SPACE FOR DIVERSITY The Georgian environment and the planning of a whole new city is an equally difficult thing to approach.

Its aesthetic and ambition is admired but unless it introduces a system of living which is compatible with modern city dwelling, it might well disappear and crumble. To come to terms with the scale of the a large city intervention, I decided to develop the “Beta Block” model further. The “Beta Block” model operates almost at a dolls house scale. Primarily it was designed to allow the viewer to walk through the block and pull it apart. The model divides into smaller pieces that can be moved about on casters so one can walk about like Gulliver in Lilliput. The materiality of the piece is less important as it shows the finesse and elegance of the Georgian Houses as a backdrop to the vast space available in the centre of the block. It reveals the potential of the “back of house” buildings. The mews lane cuts right through this, opening up access for housing, public space, a pedestrian artery and a new community.

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This operates as Jane Jacobs advocates in The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) by making

space for diversity. This diversity is the lynchpin through which regeneration can be achieved by various communities, creating both an identity for themselves as well as making room for the replenishment of those communities as people arrive, pass through and leave.

Jacobs book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) provided the tools for the Author to address an enormous urban intervention of over 1 km long and 1 hectare in area. The greatest fear is always that any intervention will overpower or destroy, rather than compliment and promote the existing without wilfully ignoring the intricate and complex fragments of modern society. In her “attack” on contemporary planning Jacobs’ believed that all urban planning shared one common theme - the sorting and segregating of urban functions into distinct zones/spaces results in monotonous unappealing cities. Jacobs argues that all these planning schemes are irrelevant to how cities work, and states that, “unstudied, and unrespected, cities have served a sacrificial victims” (JACOBS 1961,p25).

In terms of scale, through her observations she categorises the urban environment into three distinctive parts; city, districts, and streets, all varying in scale and function. Streets operate at a very local level where one can access support immediately. Districts are a more formal mechanism whereby representation can be made to the wider city executive. The city is the mechanism through which government funding can be accessed. As Jacobs states, “I hope no reader will try to transfer my observations into guides as to what goes on in towns, or a little cities, are in suburbs which are still suburban. Towns, suburbs and even little cities are totally different organisms from great cities”(JACOBS 1961, p16).

Although she argues that a small city is not a scaled down version of a big city, the Georgian District in Limerick is physically identifiable through its architecture, what it lacks is the density of population. The lane could provide the connective tissue that helps define the district and provide space to increase the density of population. She identifies four aims of planners to create effective districts:

•

“First, to foster lively and interesting streets.

•

Second, to make the fabric of the streets is continuous and network as possible through 48

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out the district of potential sub city size and power.

Third, do use parks and squares and public buildings as part of this street fabric; use them

•

to intensify and knit together the fabrics complexity and multiple use. They should not be

used to Ireland off different uses from each other, or to island off subdistrict neighbour

hoods.

•

Fourth, to emphasise the functional identity of areas large enough to work as districts.”

(JACOBS 1961, p129)

She strongly advocates the importance of all kinds of diversity, intricately mingled in mutual support, she explains the conditions for city diversity or the economic workings that produce lively cities, by examining the combinations or mixtures of uses, not separate uses. To generate a beneficial level of diversity a city must include the following 4 conditions:

1.

“the district, and indeed as many of its internal parts as possible, must serve more than

one primary function; preferably more than two. These must ensure the presence of peo

ple who go outdoors on different schedules and are in the place for different purposes

who are able to use many facilities in common.

Most blocks must be short; that is, streets and opportunities to turn corners must be fre

2.

quent.

3.

The district must mingle buildings that vary in age and condition, including a good

proportion of old ones that theory in the economic yield they must produce. This min

gling must be fairly close-grained.

There must be a sufficiently dense concentration of people, for whatever purposes

4.

they may be there. This includes dense concentration in the case of people who are there

because of residence” (JACOBS 1961,p144).

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Mixed/diverse primary uses that are compatible with existing uses ensures that the public space and sidewalks are in use throughout the day, as well as ensuring a healthy retail environment for city based businesses and bring people to a specific place therefore becoming anchors in the district. Out of these primary uses, spring secondary uses that serve these people drawn to the district by the primary uses. “If secondary diversity flourishes sufficiently and contains enough that is unusual or unique, it’s seemingly can and does become, in its accumulation, a primary use itself” (JACOBS 1961,p163).

In Jacob’s analysis of the cities blocks themselves, the blocks tend to be impenetrable so therefore she concludes that blocks must be small and short. The advantage of the mews lanes are that they can work independent of the existing Georgian block to some extent and the very fact it provides shortcuts is an added bonus as it has the potential to draw people through as a mens of quickly getting from A to B. The diversity of the buildings is also an advantage, as she believes “the only harm of aged buildings to a city district or street is the harm that eventually comes of nothing but old age - the harm that lies in everything being old and everything becoming worn out”(JACOBS 1961,p189). There is little doubt of the quality of the existing

buildings within the Georgian block and the mews lanes provide the space for the more dilapidated poorly built properties to be replaced adding to the diversity rather than subtracting from the existing quality of the block.

Jacobs offers several suggestions for dealing with social housing and advocates that housing for tenants should not be government provided as the results will be similar to the “housing projects” that provide accommodation for lower income families with similar backgrounds, similar economic circumstances and leave little room for developing diversity within the community. She suggests instead that social housing should be provided for by private developers but subsidised by the government or alternatively rents should be supplemented by the government, based on income, allowing individuals the freedom to choose a place to live. Both of these suggestions offer an opportunity for a diverse social mix in a neighbourhood. Jacobs fully realises that this cooperation between the private and public sector has the potential to create an environment for corruption, and suggests that housing policies should be revised every 8 years or so to prevent this.

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Finally, Jacobs argues that cities are a problem of organised complexity in which city planning cannot be reduced to the oversimplified solutions provided by skyscrapers and tall buildings, but only by engaging with the diversity at street level. The mews lane provides a horizontal artery that weaves through this complexity offering a method of both organising and accessing the existing uses of the buildings.

A CENTRAL ARTERY

When designing the 1km lane, the Author, turned to the writings of Kevin Lynch who has analysed in detail the ways through which people navigate the urban environment. In the Image of a City (1960), Lynch analyses the temporal nature of the city scape. He reveals that although cities are physical objects constructed on a vast scale, it can only be perceived over time.

“City design, is therefore a temporal art, but it can really use the controls and limited sequences of other temporary arts like music” (Lynch 1960,p1). The book concentrates on the legibility of the city and how people orientate themselves in the urban cityscape through reading the built environment and engaging way-finding techniques. “For most people interviewed, paths were the predominant city elements, although their importance varied according to the degree of familiarity with the city. People with least knowledge of Boston tended to think of the city in terms of topography, large regions, generalised characteristics, and broad directional relationships. Subjects who knew the city better had usually mastered part of the path structure; these people thought mote in terms of specific paths and their interrelationships. A tendency also appeared for the people who knew the city best of all to rely more upon small landmarks and less upon either regions or paths. The potential drama and identification in the highway system should not be underestimated” (Lynch 1960,p49).

The mews lanes could provide a similar scenario within Limerick City Centre. The Main Lane providing a well known highly recognised artery for pedestrians with the other lanes providing shortcuts for those who know the district well. Lynch has also identified that special facade characteristics are important for path identity. I can imagine that the main lane would be easily recognisable by the material nature of the paths surface, but the smaller arteries could develop a look, an “aesthetic”, that begins to define the block and 51

Katsumoto (circa 1450) The Temple of the Dragon at Peace, Kyoto

Figure 4.4

Katsumoto (circa 1450) The Temple of the Dragon at Peace, Kyoto

Figure 4.5

Richard Long 2006 Lismore Castle

Figure 4.6

Hammudid dynasty ( Early 11th Century) Alcazabar, Malaga

Figure 4.7

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take on the nature of the block. Even after considerable study and research of the block, this author finds it difficult to quickly identify one from the other. The Main Lane has also the advantage of possessing a directional quality, running perpendicular to the contours of the city, running downhill from O’Connell Crescent to Ellen Street, therefore helping to orientate as to whether one is travelling uphill or downhill.

“Once a path has directional quality, it may have the further attribute of being scaled: one may be able to sense one’s position along the total length, to grasp the distance traversed or yet to go. Features which facilitate scaling, of course, usually confer a sense of direction as well, except for the simple technique of counting blocks, which is directionless but can be used to compute distances”(Lynch 1960,p55). It may be important to create a node or focal point each time a side street crosses the lane, by defining the type of junction, a staggered crossing, a bow lane, a change in level or a widening of the path.

Also the design assumes that where a path and a side street connect, the path is given priority. Lynch also refers to designing detachment into the way finding process and gives the subway or rail system as an example of this. One is not required to “read” the environment in order to navigate it, they just have to follow the signs. This concentration on signage prevents the assimilation and potential enjoyment of navigating through a built environment. In the context of contemporary society, the Author wonders how Lynch would ponder on navigation given societys dependence on GPS and mobile devices. In fact if the promotion of any public space is dependent on its enjoyment, then the questions of how to get people to look up from their phone or unplug their ears is extremely pertinent and its effects on social inclusion/exclusion……

A person’s sense of security is dependent of their capacity to navigate a space and their faith in the mental image of their personal map of the city. In an environment as complex as a city, there are various components which lend themselves to creating these mental maps, such as the recognition of urban elements, the relationship of urban elements to other objects and to the observer and the cultural value of these elements.

In terms of city planning the design of these elements should be open-ended as a recognition of the ongoing changes that occur unplanned in a city. This study recognises that in proposing the lane as a means of regenerating the city allows for this open-ended and temporal element that should be part of all urban renewal design. The lane doesn’t tightly define what should occur but rather is the first step in allowing 53

Hidden City (animation still)

Figure 4.8

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activity to emerge organically, by understanding that the “city” needs to be able replenish, change and grow in order to prevent future stagnation which untimately causes the decay, like that which currently besieges

the Georgian buildings. Again, the lane isn’t a solution to revitalising the city centre but has the potential to create the space to encourage this replenishment by modest and practical means.

HIDDEN CITY ANIMATION The third piece of work, which was completed as part of this study is an animation (See Figure 4.8). This form of representation was an attempt to both explore and demonstrate the ephemeral aspects of “Lane Life” that cannot be captured through drawings or models. Movement of people/crowds, the quiet spaces with birdsong, the green space with children playing and noisy nightlife that can exist without the imposition of cars and traffic. An internal world that is enhanced by this artery that runs through the leftover city spaces. The animation shows a human scale where sight, sound, touch and proximity to others and shows an intimacy of the proposal as a stage set almost.

Jan Gehl has spent a lifetime studying these “difficult to capture” intimacies of urban public spaces. According to him, when modernism declared that the modern man, is a totally rational different breed of human that required a brand new approach, everything that was previously learned in the building of city and space making was abandoned. All the skills and previous knowledge was ignored because now there was a brand new species to build for. “Up to this point, older cites all inhabitation were built around spaces. The spaces were designed and then the buildings encircled these spaces. So it was the ensemble of buildings and the society of spaces that were the main focus”(Gehl, J 2013). With the modernist movement the whole focus began to shift away from this “system” of buildings and spaces to the single building, which was welcomed by architects, who celebrate the single buildings without the fuss of having to put them together or create an ensemble (see Figure 4.9 Nolli plan).

Corbusiers ideal plan for Paris, was based on the notion that Paris could be replaced by constructing 24 high rise buildings where all the Parisians could look out over Paris interspaced with highways (Fondation Le Corbusier, (2018). During this period it seemed as though planners were working from airplanes. Where 55

Giambattista Nolli (1748) - Nolli Plan

Figure 4.9

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previously, buildings had been designed from the bottom up, in contemporary times buildings from the top

down, airlifted onto site, neglecting to consider the spaces on the ground and the people who inhabit them.

The other great paradigm that exists in modern city building is the car invasion, where now the main concern is to accommodate cars and to create more capacity for more cars, which results in making cities uninhabitable. Humans were designed to move at 5km per hour, so older cites and buildings have details that can be appreciated at this speed and the scale feels more comfortable. When moving at 60km/p/hr spaces need to be bigger, with bigger buildings, and fewer details, mainly large signage. According to Gehl, the overwhelming result of this car invasion is the appointment in most major cities of a transport department while there are no departments dealing with public spaces, people, pedestrians. The Main Lane provides an opportunity to address these issues by reintroducing this human scale back into the city centre without hindering or obstructing the existing car routes through Limerick. “Architects have to use still photos to communicate your buildings to one another, which creates sculpture not architecture. Still form makes it easier to study form etc, but architecture is the interaction between form and life and its only when form and life interact in a wonderful way do we have wonderful architecture”(Gehl, J 2017). The animation attempts to show a city life that can be nurtured in the absence of cars along the lane. “We should respect and examine the small but important elements that makes life in cities flourish”(Gehl, J 2017). By examining the habits and behaviours of citizens at eye-level, successful spaces can be analysed and understood.

Gehl declares that people generally tend to use space where the climate is comfortable, details are present, uses overlap, senses are stimulated, and indoor meets outdoor. Through history the city had developed as a walking environment based on our physiology. As transport and means of moving evolved, so too have our cities evolved to accommodate the newer forms of transport. From a human perspective the success of the car in modern cities has been incredibly damaging for the quality of life in cities. The invasion of the car into city life has given rise to a new form of architecture. Spaces designed for cars, mainly travelling at speed tend to have the following qualities, large signs, no details, no people and large spaces. “Much of contemporary city space around the world has been colonised with 60 km/h architecture”(Gehl, J 2017).

This means that without a car, the built environment can feel monotonous, out of scale and even hostile.

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Proposal for a staggered crossing

Figure 4.10 Proposal for a raised crossing

Figure 4.11

Proposal for lane materials

Figure 4.12 Proposal for a stepped crossing

Figure 4.13

Proposal for a straight crossing

Figure 4.14

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RESEARCH At 5km/h scale is reduced, activity is at street level with smaller spaces and smaller signage. These spaces are now usually only to be found in the old historic centres. Georgian Limerick is fortunate to be design where both modes of transport can be accommodated. Opening up the lanes and prioritising pedestrian architecture has enormous potential to invite people back into city living and revitalise the historic city centre. To understand how our senses work and how we perceive things, Gehl has identified the following scales and perceptions:

•

“At a distance of 100m, we are able to see and detect human movement. Places is like the

Piazza Navona in Rome and stadiums are designed in this scale.

•

At about 25 m, we can recognise facial expressions and dominant moods. Places like

neighbourhood squares and theatres are designed in the scale.

•

At about 7 m, we are just about able to talk to one another. Public gatherings are typically

organised in this range of scale.

•

At a range of 3 to 2 m, we are able to have meaningful social conversations. Places like

seating arrangements in living rooms are designed in this scale.

•

At about 1 m, we are able to have intense personal dialogue with close friends and family.

The family dining table is typically arranged in this scale.

•

0.5 m and below are necessary for expressing caring and love” (Gehl, J 2017).

59

IN 1769, EDMUND PERY COMMISSIONED THE IRISH ENGINEER CHRISTOPHER COLLES TO DESIGN A TOWN PLAN ON HIS ESTATE WHICH HAS SINCE BECOME KNOWN AS NEWTOWN PERY. COLLES DEVISED AN ELEGANT PLAN WHICH DIVIDED THE ESTATE INTO A GRID PLAN OF EQUAL RECTANGULAR PLOTS & LENGTH AND OF A DISTINCTIVE ARCHTECTURAL UNITY WHICH STILL DEFINES THE CITY CENTRE TO THIS DAY. COLLES PLAN FOR NEWTOWN PERRY WAS AN AMBITIOUS, ELEGANT, AND SPECULATIVE DRAWING THAT REIMAGINED THE EXPANSION OF LIMERICK ALONG THE BANK OF THE SHANNON ADJOINING ENGLISHTOWN ON KING’S ISLAND AND IRISHTOWN TO THE NORTH. THE LEGACY OF THIS PLAN HAS GIVEN LIMERICK A FORMIDABLE GEORGIAN INFRASTRUCTURE WHICH IN MANY WAYS FORMS A CRUCIAL PART OF LIMERICK’S IDENTITY.

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DESIGN PROPOSAL

Limerick City Plan, authors own work

Figure 5.1

61

THE VARIOUS STAGES OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE CITY CENTRE OF LIMERICK CAN STILL BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED BY THE STREET PATTERN. •

ENGLISH TOWN LOCATED ON KING’S ISLAND IS THE OLDEST PART OF THE CITY DEVELOPED IN NORMAN TIMES

•

IRISH TOWN ACROSS THE ABBEY RIVER IS DEFINED BY SMALL MEDIEVAL STREETS AND WAS A RESULT OF A CITY EXPANSION IN THE 15TH CENTURY

•

NEWTOWNPERY AND ITS DISTINCTIVE GRID EMERGED IN THE LATE 18TH CENTURY

•

VICTORIAN LIMERICK WAS A SMALLER EXPANSION AS THE CITY GREW OUTWARDS TOWARDS THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY

62

DESIGN PROPOSAL English Town

Irish Town Georgian Limerick

Victorian Limerick

Limerick City Street Patterns, authors own work

Figure 5.2

63

PART OF THE GEORGIAN INFRASTRUCTURE NOT ONLY INCLUDED A ROADS SYSTEM WITH PUBLIC WATER AND DRAINAGE, BUT ALSO A SECOND CIRCULATORY SYSTEM OF MEWS LANES WHICH ALLOWED A “BACK OF HOUSE” ACCESS FOR HORSES AND CARRAIGES BUT ALSO GOODS AND SERVANTS. THESE LANES PROVIDE A COMPLETE CONTRAST TO THE AUSTERE, FORMAL BRICK FACADES OF THE GEORGIAN HOUSES AND THE THE WIDE GENEROUS GEORGIAN STREETS.

64

DESIGN PROPOSAL

Limerick City Mews Lanes, authors own work

Figure 5.3

65

THIS STUDY HAS HIGHLIGTED 9 BLOCKS IN GEORGIAN LIMERICK THAT LINK THE MEDIEVAL STREETS OF IRISH TOWN TO THE MORE SUBURBAN PARTS OF VICTORIAN LIMERICK. ALL TO THE BLOCKS ARE ADJACENT TO O’CONNELL STREET, THE MAIN CITY THROROUGHFARE AND THEY PROVIDE A REALISTIC REPRESENTATION OF THE VARIETY, CONDITION AND POTENTIAL OF GEORGIAN LIMERICK.

66

DESIGN PROPOSAL

Limerick City, 9 blocks and associated mews lanes

Figure 5.4

67

THE STUDY HAS CONCENTRATED ON THE NINE GEORGIAN BLOCKS THAT CONNECT THE MEDIEVAL STREETS AND LANES OF WHAT WAS ONCE KNOWN AS IRISHTOWN, WITH THE BEGINNING OF MORE SUBURBAN VICTORIAN LIMERICK. THE CAST CONCRETE MODEL SHOWS THE CHANGE IN DENSITY OF THE GEORGIAN CITY FABRIC AS YOU MOVE TOWARDS THE VICTORIAN END OF TOWN. ALSO THE FORMAL RIGID EDGE OF THE EXTERIOR OF THE BLOCKS GIVES WAY TO A MUCH MORE CHAOTIC INTERIOR OF LANES, COURTYARDS AND VARIOUS BUILDINGS.

Concrete Model, showing researched blocks Figure 5.5

68

DESIGN PROPOSAL A POSSIBILITY TO CONNECT SOME OF THE

LANES INTO 1 DISTINCTIVE LANE EMERGES. THE LANE IS OVER 1KM LONG, RUNS PARALLEL WITH O’CONNELL STREET. THERE ARE ONLY 2 INSTANCES WHERE IT IS INTERRUPTED - ONCE BY A WALL AND SECONDLY BY AN INFILL BUILDING. THE TIGHTER MORE DENSELY BUILT DARKER SPACES GIVE WAY TO WIDER AND MORE OPEN SPACES AS YOU TRAVEL ALONG THE LANE, UPHILL TO THE CRESCENT END.

Concrete Model, showing 1km lane Figure 5.6

69

THE PROPOSAL DEVELOPS INTO A DESIGN THAT CONSIDERS HOW TO REVEAL THE POTENTIAL OF WHAT IS ALREADY EXISTING. ALONG THIS 1KM LANE THERE ARE SPACES, ALMOST IN EVERY BLOCK, THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE DEVELOPED INTO PUBLIC SPACE. WHEN ACCUMULATED THERE IS ALMOST A HECTARE OF UNDERUSED OR IDLE PUBLIC SPACE RUNNING THROUGH THE HEART OF GEORGIAN LIMERICK.

Concrete Model, showing 1 hectare of public space Figure 5.7

70

DESIGN PROPOSAL TO ACTIVATE THIS CENTRAL LANE WOULD ALSO LINK WITH OTHER EXSITING LANES AS OFF-SHOOTS TO THIS CENTRAL ARTERY. AGAIN THE POTENTIAL TO REINVIGORATE THE GEORGIAN BLOCKS FROM THE INSIDE OUT BECOMES AN EXCITING POSSIBILITY.

Concrete Model, showing mews lanes Figure 5.8

71

IF THE LANE IS A PEDESTRIAN THOROUGHFARE THEN THERE ARE 9 INSTANCES WHERE IT WILL CROSS TRAFFIC. IF THE PEDESTRIANS USING THE LANES HAVE PRIORITY AT THESE JUNCTIONS THE POTENTIAL TO USE THESE JUNCTIONS AS LANDMARKS OR UNIQUE SPACES ALONG THE ROUTE BECOMES A POSSIBILITY. THE ENTRANCE ONTO THIS LANE, THE CROSSING POINTS, THE POTENTIAL INHABITANTS, AND THE MATERIALITY OF THE PATH ALL REQUIRE CONSIDERATION.

Concrete Model, showing side streets and junctions Figure 5.9

72

DESIGN PROPOSAL THE LANE IS BORDERED BY O’CONNELL STREET TO THE WEST AND CATHERINE STREET TO THE EAST. O’CONNELL STREET IS THE MAIN ARTERY FOR TRAFFIC IN THE CITY CENTRE AND IS A ONE-WAY SYSTEM AS FAR AS MALLOW STREET. CATHERINE STREET CARRIES A LOT LESS TRAFFIC. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF WILLIAMS STREET AND ROCHES STREET ALL OF THE SMALLER SIDE STREETS HAVE LITTLE TRAFFIC AND QUITE A FEW HAVE STREET PARKING. TO CREATE PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS ON THESE STREETS WOULD HAVE LITTLE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON TRAFFIC

Concrete Model, showing streets and side streets Figure 5.10

73

Proposed Lane at nightime

Figure 6.1

74

LANE LIFE

As the research progressed, the possibilities of designing new public spaces and activities began to take shape. The following gives each block and identity based on the existing buildings within the block and develops a design based on existing functions and proposing complimentary functions that adds another layer of complexity to the lane. It is also an attempt to move the proposal from an abstract proposition to a realistic proposal so that it can be tested and challenged in terms of been an achieveable propsition.

The analysis breaks down the design in terms of •

identifying the block

•

identifying existing functions

•

proposing a complimentary programme for the spaces

•

develop the look and feel of the public spaces

•

understand the connections between the blocks

•

provide areas with a view to developing a basic cost analysis

75

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

CAR PARK(EXISTING) CHURCH GROUNDS (EXISTING)

CHURCH (EXISTING)

SECURED HOUSING (EXISTING)

PUBLIC SPACE (PROPOSED)

GREEN SPACE (EXISTING)

MEDICAL CENTRE (PROPOSED)

MEWS HOUSES (EXISTING) CHURCH CHURCH

9

8 6 7

4 5

1

3

2

10

Figure 6.2

76

LANE LIFE BLOCK 1 - CHURCH BLOCK DESCRIPTION This is the beginning of the lane proposal which is located at the top of O’Connell St./O’Connell Avenue and at the top of Catherine Street. This marks the perimeter of Georgian Limerick and would have been some of the last Georgian Buildings errected in the city. There are 3 churches in this block and the density of the buildings on the block is low. The existing lane access a single storey secure housing for the elderly/ infirm and there are 4 large intact Mews houses that are currently used for storage/garage. There is an opportunity to introduce a Medical Centre or similar to act as a support to the existing community.

ANALYSIS Surfaces •

Path - 487m2

•

Paved Areas (existing) - 1500m2

•

Green Space (existing) - 1027m2

Housing •

Existing Mews - 4no.

Community Space Medical Centre - 192 m2 Commercial Space - 0m2

77

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

FRANK MCCOURT GARDENS (EXISTING) TYPE 1 HOUSES (PROPOSED) TYPE 3 HOUSES (PROPOSED) CAR PARK (EXISTING) TYPE 3 HOUSES (PROPOSED) FRANK MCCOURT MUSEUM (EXISTING)

5

3 4 6

1

2

Figure 6.3

78

LANE LIFE BLOCK 2 - THE CRESCENT BLOCK DESCRIPTION The Crescent marks the end of O’Connell Street and the begining of O’Connell Avenue and is the most distinctive Georgian block with the large imposing Georgian houses with a curving facade. The the rear of these buildings the existing mews are almost all replaced by run down dilapitated garages and storage buildings. This provides an incredible opportunity to place housing along the lane. The Frank McCourt Museum, with its manicured front lawns and anachronistic appearance sits as a wonderful center piece in the block.

ANALYSIS Surfaces •

Path - 690m2

•

Paved Areas - 420m2

•

Green Space - 411m2

Housing •

House Type 1 - 6no.

•

House Type 3 - 11no.

•

Existing Mews - 5 no.

Community Space - 0m2 Commercial Space - 0m2

79

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

MEWS HOUSES (EXISTING)

CRECHE (EXISTING)

MEWS HOUSES (EXISTING)

RESIDENTIAL (EXISTING)

PUBLIC TOILETS (PROPOSED)

MEWS HOUSES (EXISTING)

WALL ENTRY (PROPOSED)

SOLICITORS OFFICE (EXISTING)

CAR PARK

BELLTABLE ARTS CENTRE

EXISTING MEWS

TYPE 3 HOUSE (PROPOSED)

OUTDOOR CINEMA

CAFE/PUBLIC SQUARE SHOP

6

8 4

5

1

7

3

9

2

11 10 12 13

15

14

Figure 6.4

80

LANE LIFE BLOCK 3 - BELLTABLE BLOCK DESCRIPTION This is possibly the most intact Georgian Block. There are 3 mews lanes that do not interconnect and are separated by a large high stone wall. The proposal removes a section of the wall and place public toilets at the point where all 3 lanes meet. This block has the potential to accommodate a diverse mix of activities from residential, to cultural.

ANALYSIS Surfaces •

Path - 400m2

•

Paved Areas - 1055m2

•

Green Space - 0m2

Housing •

House Type 3 - 6no.

•

Existing Mews - 14no.

Community Space Public Toilets - 60m2 Commercial Space Cafe - 500m2 Outdoor Cinema - 555m2

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1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

TYPE 2 HOUSES (PROPOSED) PUBLIC PLAZA (PROPOSED) OFFICES (EXISTING) MARKET SQUARE (PROPOSED) MEWS HOUSE (EXISTING) BOW LANE (EXISTING) MEWS HOUSES (EXISTING) SOLICITORS OFFICE (EXISTING) MARKET HALL (PROPOSED)

7

8

6

4

1

5

3 2

Figure 6.5

82

LANE LIFE BLOCK 4 - MARKET BLOCK DESCRIPTION The lane passes from the Belltable block across Mallow Street and enters the market block through a “Bow” - a Georgian house with an arch underneath through which a lanes passes through. The existing fabric of this block lends itself to being transformed into a market place and plaza with room for new residential and the regeneration of exisitng mews houses to provide a balanced residential occupancy to the block.

ANALYSIS Surfaces •

Path - 1520m2

•

Paved Areas (existing)- 162m2

•

Green Space - 0m2

Housing •

House Type 2 - 8no.

•

Existing Mews - 6no.

Community Space - 0m2 Commercial Space Indoor Commercial Market - 471m2

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1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

CARPARK (EXISTING) MEWS HOUSE (EXISTING) COMMUNITY HALL (EXISTING) PUBLIC PARK (PROPOSED) PLAYGROUND (PROPOSED) MEWS HOUSES (EXISTING) HOMELESS CENTRE (EXISTING)

6

5 7

4

3 2

1

Figure 6.6

84

LANE LIFE BLOCK 5 - PARK BLOCK DESCRIPTION This block occupies a central point of the lane proposal. There is already a large carparking space and several existing mews houses. Some of the existing open space has the potential to provide green space and park amenities to all the residents and users of the lane proposal. The lack of density of the existing built fabric of the blocks provides an opportunity for the lane to widen and open into a greener public space where seating and views could provide a good space to sit and people watch in the city centre.

ANALYSIS Surfaces •

Path - 1400m2

•

Paved Areas - 0m2

•

Green Space - 836m2

Housing •

Existing Mews - 7no.

Community Space Public Park - 836m2 Community Hall - 160m2 Commercial Space - 0m2

85

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

BUILDING REMOVED (PROPOSED) PUBLIC PLAZA (PROPOSED) OFFICE SPACE (PROPOSED) PUBLIC PLAZA (PROPOSED) MEWS HOUSES (EXISTING)

5

1

4

2

3

Figure 6.7

86

LANE LIFE BLOCK 6 - BUSINESS BLOCK DESCRIPTION This block marks the begining of the more densely occupied parts of Newtown Pery. There already exists a row of mews houses within the block. The lanes widens to link 2 formal plazas that are bordered by a proposed office/commercial space.

ANALYSIS Surfaces •

Path - 650m2

•

Paved Areas - 450m2

•

Green Space - 0m2

Housing •

Existing Mews - 8no.

Community Space Public Plaza - 450m2 Commercial Space - 350m2

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1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

RETAIL SPACES (PROPOSED) PUB/BAR (EXISTING) CHURCH (EXISTING) RESIDENTIAL (EXISTING) AUGUSTINIAN LANE (EXISTING)

1

5 4

3 2

Figure 6.8

88

LANE LIFE BLOCK 7 - AUGUSTINIAN BLOCK DESCRIPTION The Augustinian church dominates the entire fabric of this block. The lanes becomes very narrow and the position of the church and its imposing perimeter wall immediately gives a sense of increased density of the city fabric. The lanes also weaves its way through acting mainly as a connective tissue through the centre of the block. The block also has an existing bar which has the potential to increase the nighttime traffic through the lane.

ANALYSIS Surfaces •

Path - 1310m2

•

Paved Areas - 0m2

•

Green Space - 0m2

Housing •

Existing Mews - 3no.

Community Space Church - 2135m2 Commercial Space Bar - 615m2

89

1.

2.

EXHIBITION SPACE (PROPOSED) EXHIBITION SPACE (PROPOSED)

1 2

1 1

1 1

Figure 6.9

90

LANE LIFE BLOCK 8 - EXHIBITION BLOCK DESCRIPTION Towards the lower end of the lane, the city fabric has grown much more dense with few opportunities to alter it. here the lane connects into an existing mews street with the possibility of proposing an exhibition space/plaza beside a small electricity substation.

ANALYSIS Surfaces •

Path - 750m2

•

Paved Areas - 0m2

•

Green Space - 0m2

Housing - 0m2 Community Space Exhibition - 358m2 Commercial Space - 0m2

91

1.

RETAIL (EXISTING)

1

1

1 1

Figure 6.10

92

LANE LIFE BLOCK 9 - CRUISES STREET BLOCK DESCRIPTION Finally the lane arrives at the lower end of Georgian Limerick before it moves into the old medieval streets.

This blocks was already replaced by a mix of low scale retail units in the early 1990’s. Here the lane offers few potential to create new public spaces however perhaps by providing a pedestrian link that runs through the centre of the city it could act as a conduit to this underused retail amenity.

ANALYSIS Surfaces •

Path - 0m2

•

Paved Areas - 11300m2

•

Green Space - 0m2

Housing - 0m2 Community Space - 0m2 Commercial Space Retail- 3000m2

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Proposal for a 2 bedroom contemporary Mews House

Figure 6.11

Proposal for a 1 bedroom contemporary Mews House

Figure 6.12

Proposal for a Co-Housing Apartments

Figure 6.13

94

CONCLUSION To quote Orson Welles, “If you want a happy ending that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.”

As highlighted by Kevin Lynch, urban planning is a temporal art, like music, rather than a static sculptural art. But to find an innovative, growing, prosperous city, you would probably have to look back to 200 years ago on its timeline to the days when Newtown Pery was being built. Todays city centre, consists of the empty shell of this project with little or no vision of how it might reverse its fortunes. Can a city return from the dead? Is there a point at which an urban space cannot be revived and instead entropy is the powerful force shaping its destiny?

This research study began in the summer of 2014 and with the exception of a six month break, it ended in the summer of 2018. Very early on in the study, it became apparent that the scope of the research was enormous and that it would need to define the parameters quickly. The collaboration with the Intelligence Unit within the School of Architecture, Limerick was incredibly valuable in this respect. This academic group were studying the same issues and this allowed the Author to access and review relevant information very quickly and thoroughly. The group of architecture students had previous experience in urban design proposals and the structured approach not only led to a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding Georgian Limerick but gave the Author confidence to dismiss those areas which the she felt need not be included, such as the Georgian Houses. The Author concluded these had received substantial attention in the School of Architecture, the Georgian Society and the Local Authority and they still remained stubbornly unused and falling to dereliction. The Author was also of the opinion that the constraints and obstacles of the Georgian houses creates almost an impasse, and because no viable solution can be found, it results in nothing been done. Therefore the Author was anxious that the research proposal should be a a pragmatic one that is seen as a first step in regeneration and has the potential to grow and radically alter the way the city is used.

Collaboration proved both fruitful and difficult at times. In terms of the methods of research developed the structure of the group collaboration was a success in that it allowed access to research material and reviews quickly and easily. Beta Block and the workshops of the Open House model provided the platform to interact with the public and gauge opinion or apathy regarding the Georgian Quarter. The least successful collaborative approach with the ideas competition. It was too removed from the topic and very narrow in focus and scope, so the outcomes and value of this approach were limited in its success. The Makers Housing Cooperative was by far the collaboration with the most potential in terms of a future research area that could be explored further. Time and circumstance played a part in how this collaboration worked and the Author’s role should have been more as an Observer than as a lead figure as she had no risk associated with the aims and objective’s of the cooperative. There is huge potential in cooperatives providing an alternative approach to the housing crisis. Where communities themselves are formed to design their own approach to housing. This opportunity for investment in social housing at a grassroots level has the potential to pay great dividends in terms of social cohesion, mobility and advancement which is often absent from social housing schemes.

95

Studies of Public Spaces on Lane, where the path grows to accommodate planting, seating etc.

96

Figure 6.14

CONCLUSION

In a very structured way, through group work, workshops etc. it felt the collaborative process was constrained by what was set out in the original parameters, such as the Productive Fragments Competition.

Without the constraints of structure however, collaboration was an extremely creative and vibrant method of research but did not arrive arrive at a clearcut conclusion, as with the Makers Housing Cooperative. It is this Authors conclusion that success, is to find a balance in both the method and the outcome of the collaboration. Possibily the most useful research method employed in this study was the Mews Lane audit which mapped, photographed and presented a thorough and complete overview of the entire network of Georgian laneways in Limerick’s city centre. By publishing this online under a creative commons licence it can usefully form the basis of further proposals in the Georgian Quarter.

The Exhibition is the physical expression of the conclusion of the research work. It demonstrates the various scales required to examine city regeneration and attempts to provide a pragmatic and achievable design intervention. The concrete model acts both as a concept model and a metaphor for the historical value that is ascribed to built objects overtime. The materiality of casting a piece captures this commitment to monumentality, coupled with the acceptance of a potentially flawed outcome, that insists the design works with the possible and sees the beauty in the unchangeable. The second model is a large scale model of a Georgian block which allows the viewer it to examine in detail how a viable proposal can grow within the existing structure of the block are using the lane as the central artery. Again this piece was designed to be easily moved on casters to allow an examination of the Georgian block at an intimate scale. The third piece is the animation which allows a greater public access to the piece using social media and attempts to show the proposal at a more human street level scale.

Limerick city and its derelict centre is a complicated problem which is larger than can be addressed in this single piece of research. From a historical perspective the city possesses an incredible legacy of original Georgian structure which should be valued and form an integral part of the city’s identity. To this end, all regeneration proposals, should have at their heart, the conscious elevation of these buildings.

That being said, we cannot be afraid to address these buildings in a sympathetic way with a view to allowing him to accommodate a contemporary life. The main issues in today’s Limerick City are: •

The historical nature of it urban city fabric requires a delicate approach that retains the term the charm and beauty and historical relevance of the Georgian buildings while allowing space for contemporary life. This research has attempted to address these issues, by using the Mews lanes to create a new urban space/street that proposes to complement the historic buildings rather than overpowering them.

•

There is a social concern whereby years of allowing suburban development has emptied the city centre of both inhabitants and commerce. This requires a cultural value to be placed on city dwelling and city centre life to be promoted. The lane operates over nine blocks, 1 km, through the city centre, Giving 97

the proposal enough scope to effectively generate a cultural change in which a smaller project/proposal might be lost within the city. The proposal always needed to be significant in size to affect change required to reverse the fortunes of the historic centre •

The third concern is political. The local authority is ultimately responsible for the development of the city. This of course depends on money raised through rates and taxes and also money from central government. For the past 10 years, the country has endured austerity measures as a result of the country going into bankruptcy in 2010. With the result that many regional cities and their councils have been left seriously underfunded. Without funding it is very difficult to comprehensively address the continuing decay in the city centre. The proposal attempts to be a modest one, suitable for the economic and social context of its time. It can also be achieved in a piecemeal fashion block by block. This will factor in “lessons learnt” advantage throughout the proposal.

•

Housing can no longer be seen as the domain of developers only. The market alone is incapable of undoing the complex conundrum, of income inequality, high mortgage regulation and the capacity to build communities and not just housing. A successful proposal needs to be less about the design of objects (houses) and more about the design of systems (communities, city life) and as such the starting point of this proposal must be an understanding of the entire system.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH The scope of this proposal could not adequately address all of the issues that arose during this research and give them the depth of discussion and research they deserve. In particular, the question of housing cooperatives, co-housing enterprises and similar community based housing initiatives. The potential long term advantages of communities controlling and taking stewardship of their own housing needs with public funding opens greater possibilities than current public/private partnerships limited view based purely on an economic return of investment. The “Makers Co-operative”, discussed in this study revealed a hunger, not only to occupy the city centre, but also an appreciation for the historical buildings and a willingness to question the private ownership of property with the needs of a larger community design. There is ample opportunity to propose alternative housing models that the developer contribution model that currently exists and woefully underperforms at present.

There is also a need to review planning processes within the city centre. The current approach for “Top Down” planning does not allow for the nuanced complicated life that needs to be provided for within an urban environment. Further research could help in proposing alternative planning models that take cognaisance of developments and proposals made at a community scale. This could develop an alternative to investing everything into large-scale projects at a time when the future is so unpredictable.

98

CONCLUSION

Thirdly, it is this Authors view that effective financial incentives need to be developed to encourage and

stimulate financial interest in the Limericks Georgian Centre. The “Living Cities Initiative” was certainly an acknowledgement of the need for incentives but failed to achieve any meaningful traction with investors.

This Mews Lane proposal should be seen ultimately as a “first step”. It offers only to create the space for an emergent contemporary city life rather than design the city life itself. A framework upon which objects can be placed rather than the objects themselves. It proposes to be the antithesis of the “master plan” by understanding the temporal nature of the city fabric and its capacity for change. In many ways the main issue with Limerick’s city centre is that it has lost that capacity for change. It has become stagnant, because of all the factors outlined previously. This proposed incision though its core, might just be enough, to allow space for modern life to flow in and ignite the spark of renewal.

99

Hidden City Exhibition, LSAD Limerick

Figure 7.1

100

EXHIBITION

101

Beta Block, LSAD Limerick

Figure 7.2

Beta Block, LSAD Limerick

Figure 7.3

Concrete Model, LSAD Limerick

Figure 7.4

102

EXHIBITION

103

Hidden City Animation (Still), LSAD Limerick

Figure 7.5

Hidden City Animation (Still), LSAD Limerick

Figure 7.6

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FRONT COVER : Plan of Limerick City, Author’s own drawing Figure 1.0 : MOLONEY, Eleanor 2018 Cast Concrete Models on display in LSAD, Limerick City Figure 1.1 : MOLONEY, Eleanor 2016 Catherine Place, Limerick City Figure 1.2 : SOCIAL HOUSING CONSTRUCTION IN IRELAND, 1995 - 2015 (2016), Retrieved from http://www.thejournal.ie/snapshot-of-one-county-how-irelands-housing-crisis-grew-out-of-control-2825668-Jun2016/ Figure 2.1 : SCALBERT, Irenee, (Historical Illustration of Colles Plan for Newtown Pery, Retrieved from https://31chapellane.com/seven-titles/2016/8/19/excerpt-the-uninterruptedmonument Figure 2.2 : AUTHOR UNKNOWN Historical Illustration of Medieval Limerick, showing Irishtown and Englishtown, posted on the website www.wallsoflimerick.freehostia.com, author unknown Figure 2.3 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2016) O’Connell Street, Limerick Figure 3.1 : SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK (Date Unknown) Illustration showing “Occupation by Use”, Limerick City Figure 3.2 : GEORGIAN LAB (2014) “Living Cities” Illustration, work of the School of Architecture, University of Limerick Figure 3.3 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2014) “Beta Block”, Open House Limerick 2014 Figure 3.4 : WALSH, Gerard (2015) Illustration showing “properties for sale” in Limerick, on www.daft.ie, June 2015 Figure 3.5 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2014) Daley’s Lane, Limerick Figure 3.6 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2015) “Limerick City Model”, by FAB LAB Figure 3.7 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2015) A section through a Georgian Block, Limerick Figure 3.8 : JENNINGS, S., Flynn, M. & MOLONEY, E. (2012) Illustrations showing examples of coal holes and boot scapers, from Atlas of Limerick Street Furniture, 2012 Figure 4.1 : AUTHOR UNKNOWN (2017)Kintsugi: the art of precious scars, 2017, Retreived from https://www.lifegate.com/people/lifestyle/kintsugi Figure 4.2 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2015) Cast Concrete Model, scale 1:500, Limerick City Figure 4.3 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2015) Beta Block, digital model, 1:50, Limerick City Figure 4.4 : UNTITLED IMAGE (2017) of The Temple of the Dragon at Peace, Kyoto, Retrieved from www.pinterest.ie/pin/515240013599153498/ Figure 4.5 : UNTITLED IMAGE (2017) of The Temple of the Dragon at Peace, Kyoto, Retrieved from www.pinterest.ie/pin/515240013599153498/ Figure 4.6 : AUTHOR UNKNOWN (2006) Richard Long 2006 Lismore Castle, Retreived from http://www.e-flux.com/announcements/41127/richard-long/ Figure 4.7 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Alcazabar, Malaga Figure 4.8 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2015) Hidden City Still Figure 4.9 : AUTHOR UNKNOWN (2012) Nolli Plan, Retreived from http://www.coffeewithanarchitect.com/2012/04/10/day-3-the-nolli-plan-of-rome/ Figure 4.10 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2016) Proposal of a staggered crossing Figure 4.11 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2016) Proposal of a raised crossing Figure 4.12 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2016) Proposal of lane materials Figure 4.13 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2016) Proposal of a stepped crossing Figure 4.14 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2016) Proposal of a straight crossing Figure 5.1 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Limerick City Plan Figure 5.2 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Limerick City Street Patterns 104

ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 5.3 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Limerick City Mews Lanes Figure 5.4 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Limerick City, 9 blocks and associated mews lanes Figure 5.5 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Concrete Model, showing researched blocks Figure 5.6 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Concrete Model, showing 1km lane Figure 5.7 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Concrete Model, showing 1 hectare of public space Figure 5.8 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Concrete Model, showing mews lanes Figure 5.9 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Concrete Model, showing side streets and junctions Figure 5.10 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Concrete Model, showing streets and side streets Figure 6.1 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Proposed Lane at nightime Figure 6.2 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Hidden City Still of Block 1 Figure 6.3 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Hidden City Still of Block 2 Figure 6.4 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Hidden City Still of Block 3 Figure 6.5 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Hidden City Still of Block 4 Figure 6.6 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Hidden City Still of Block 5 Figure 6.7 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Hidden City Still of Block 6 Figure 6.8 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Hidden City Still of Block 7 Figure 6.9 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Hidden City Still of Block 8 Figure 6.10 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Hidden City Still of Block 9 Figure 6.11 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Proposed housing type 1 - a 2 bedroom contemporary Mews House Figure 6.12 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Proposed housing type 2 - a 1 bedroom contemporary Mews House Figure 6.13: MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017)- Proposed housing type 3 -contemporary Co-housing Apartments Figure 6.14 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2017) Sketches of proposed public spaces Figure 7.1 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2018) Hidden City Exhiibition on display in LSAD, Limerick Figure 7.2 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2018) Beta Block on display in LSAD, Limerick Figure 7.3 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2018) Beta Block on display in LSAD, Limerick Figure 7.4 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2018) Cast Concrete Models on display in LSAD, Limerick Figure 7.5 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2018) Hidden City Still on display in LSAD, Limerick Figure 7.6 : MOLONEY, Eleanor (2018) Hidden City Still on display in LSAD, Limerick

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brunton, J (2017),’A magical, green walk along Paris’s Promenade Plantée’, The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/jun/07/paris-promenade-plantee-freeelevated-park-walkway-bastille-bois-de-vincennes (7 Jun 2017).

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (2017), ‘Options for Ireland’s Mortgage Market’. Available at: https://www.ccpc.ie/business/wp-content/uploads/ sites/3/2017/06/2017-06-14-CCPC-Options-for-Irelands-Mortgage-Market.pdf [Accessed 15 Nov 2017].

Environment, Community and Local Government (2016), ‘Implementation of the Vacant Site Levy as provided for in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015’. Online. Available at: http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/pl_07-2016_guidance_ on_implementation_of_the_vacant_site_levy.pdf Farry, M. (2000), Viking Network Ireland, Longphorts Viking settlements in Ireland Available at: http://www.ncte.ie/viking/phorts.htm[Accessed 15 Nov 2018].

Fondation Le Corbusier, Plan Voisin, Paris, France, 1925 Available at: http://www.fondationlecorbusier.fr/corbuweb/morpheus.aspx?sysId=13&IrisObjectId=6159&sysLanguage=en-en &itemPos=2&itemCount=2&sysParentName=Home&sysParentId=65 (15 April, 2018).

Gehl, J. (2013), On changing mindsets about urban planning and living, YouTube video, added by European Foundation Centre. Available at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Lid9ELzzT8Y (Accessed 12 June 2017).

Gehl, J. (2017), Life Between Buildings, video recording, Vimeo, viewed 17 July 2017, < https://vimeo.com/151880387 >. (Accessed 14 June 2017). 04:40, 09:30, 15:05, 19:25, Irish Statute Book, The Derelict Sites Act (1990), Online. Available at: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1990/act/14/enacted/en/html [Accessed 27 Jan 2018].

Jacobs, J. (1961), p16, p25, p129, p144, p163, p189, p238 The Death and Life of Great American Cities, New York, Vintage Books, Random House, Inc. Junichiro, T. (1977), In Praise of Shadows. Leete’s Island Books, 1977, 1.

Limerick City and County Council (2017), Online. Available at: http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/docks%20073.pdf Limerick City and County Council (2010), ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_ as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdf p157 Limerick City and County Council (2013) ‘Limerick 2030, An Economic and Spatial Plan for Limerick’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/limerick_2030_executive_summary.pdf Limerick 2030p13 107

Lynch, K. (1960), p1, p49, p55, The Image of a City, Cambridge, The Technology Press & Harvard University Press.

Marshall, C (2015),’ Want to join New York’s High Line crowd? Don’t listen to Joanna Lumley’, The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/aug/15/new-yorkhigh-line-crowd-london-garden-bridge-urban-design (15 Aug 2015).

Moloney, E. (2015), ‘Mews Lane Project’. Available at: https://issuu.com/newtownpery/docs/ mewsbooklet Neylon, L (2015),’A New Group wants Dubliners to Team up to Build their own Homes’, The Dublin Inquirer. Available at: https://www.dublininquirer.com/2017/08/29/a-new-groupwants-dubliners-to-team-up-to-build-their-own-homes/ (15 Aug 2015).

Norris, M & Fahey, T (2010), p8 From Asset Based Welfare to Welfare Housing? The Changing Function of Social Housing in Ireland. Online. Available at: http://researchrepository.ucd. ie/handle/10197/2971 Norris, M & Fahey, T (2010), p8 From Asset Based Welfare to Welfare Housing? The Changing Function of Social Housing in Ireland. Online. Available at: http://researchrepository.ucd. ie/handle/10197/2971 Office of the Revenue Commissioners “Living City Initiative” (2014), Online. Available at: https://www.revenue.ie/en/property/living-city-initiative/index.aspx [Accessed 25 Jul 2014].

O’Flaherty, E. (2005), p181 Three towns: Limerick since 1691, Irish Cities, Available at: http:// www.limerickcity.ie/media/limerick%20history%2005.pdf O’Toole, F (2011),’Opposition to social housing is matter of ideology not economics’, Irish Times, 20 Oct. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-opposition-tosocial-housing-is-matter-of-ideology-not-economics-1.2397695 (20 Oct 2015).

Research Database of Archive Newspapers (2018), Online. Available at: http://newspaperslibrary.org/articles/eng/Castletroy [Accessed 15 Jan 2018].

School of Architecture, University of Limerick (2009), “Intelligence Unit” Available at: http:// iu.saul.ie/about.html [Accessed 17 Dec 2017].

Sheridan, A. (2016), Over 4000 on housing waiting list in Limerick’, Limerick Leader, 31 Mar. Available at: http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/205102/Over-4-000-on-housingwaiting.html (31 Mar, 2016).

Slattery, L. (2017), Construction industry growth hits 15-month high’, Irish Times, 12 Jun. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/construction/construction-industry-growthhits-15-month-high-1.3115968 (12 Jun, 2017).

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BIBLIOGRAPHY The Department of Housing, Planing and Local Government (2018), ‘Register of Housing Bodies with Approved Status Under Section 6 of the Housing Act 1992’. Online. Available at: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/voluntary-and-cooperative-housing/ register-housing-bodies-approved-status The Department of Housing, Planing and Local Government (2016), ‘Table of maximum net income limits in Social Housing Assessment Regulations’. Online. Available at: https://www. housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/ Housing/table_with_2016_income_limits.pdf Theroux, M. (2014) In search of Wabi Sabi with Marcel Theroux, Youtube. Last modified Jun 19, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2P8z7kYJW0 Tierney, D. (2016), “Where are we now on regeneration in Limerick”, Irish Examiner, 14 Aug. Available at: http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/213266/q-a-where-are-we-now-onregeneration-in-limerick.html (14 Aug, 2016).

Whyte, W. H. (1979) The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, video recording, Archive.org, viewed 29 Oct 2017, < https://archive.org/details/thesociallifeofsmallurbanspaces >. (Accessed 14 June 2017). 15:05 Woulfe, J. (2017), Limerick social housing plan will lead to stigmatisation’, Irish Examiner, 24 Oct. Available at: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/limerick-social-housing-plan-willlead-to-stigmatisation-461542.html (24 Oct, 2016).

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LIST OF REFERENCES

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (2017), ‘Options for Ireland’s Mortgage Market’. Available at: https://www.ccpc.ie/business/wp-content/uploads/ sites/3/2017/06/2017-06-14-CCPC-Options-for-Irelands-Mortgage-Market.pdf [Accessed 15 Nov 2017].

Environment, Community and Local Government (2016), ‘Implementation of the Vacant Site Levy as provided for in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015’. Online. Available at: http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/pl_07-2016_guidance_ on_implementation_of_the_vacant_site_levy.pdf Farry, M. (2000), Viking Network Ireland, Longphorts Viking settlements in Ireland Available at: http://www.ncte.ie/viking/phorts.htm[Accessed 15 Nov 2018].

Fondation Le Corbusier, Plan Voisin, Paris, France, 1925 Available at: http://www.fondationlecorbusier.fr/corbuweb/morpheus.aspx?sysId=13&IrisObjectId=6159&sysLanguage=enen&itemPos=2&itemCount=2&sysParentName=Home&sysParentId=65 (15 April, 2018).

Gehl, J. (2013), On changing mindsets about urban planning and living, YouTube video, added by European Foundation Centre. Available at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Lid9ELzzT8Y (Accessed 12 June 2017).

Gehl, J. (2017), Life Between Buildings, video recording, Vimeo, viewed 17 July 2017, < https://vimeo.com/151880387 >. (Accessed 14 June 2017). 04:40, 09:30, 15:05, 19:25, Irish Statute Book, The Derelict Sites Act (1990), Online. Available at: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1990/act/14/enacted/en/html [Accessed 27 Jan 2018].

Jacobs, J. (1961), p16, p25, p129, p144, p163, p189, p238 The Death and Life of Great American Cities, New York, Vintage Books, Random House, Inc. Junichiro, T. (1977), In Praise of Shadows. Leete’s Island Books, 1977, 1.

Limerick City and County Council (2010), ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_ as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdf p157 Limerick City and County Council (2017), Online. Available at: http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/docks%20073.pdf Lynch, K. (1960), p1, p49, p55, The Image of a City, Cambridge, The Technology Press & Harvard University Press.

Moloney, E. (2015), ‘Mews Lane Project’. Available at: https://issuu.com/newtownpery/docs/ mewsbooklet 110

REFERENCES Norris, M & Fahey, T (2010), p8 From Asset Based Welfare to Welfare Housing? The Changing Function of Social Housing in Ireland. Online. Available at: http://researchrepository.ucd. ie/handle/10197/2971 Office of the Revenue Commissioners “Living City Initiative” (2014), Online. Available at: https://www.revenue.ie/en/property/living-city-initiative/index.aspx [Accessed 25 Jul 2014].

O’Flaherty, E. (2005), p181 Three towns: Limerick since 1691, Irish Cities, Available at: http:// www.limerickcity.ie/media/limerick%20history%2005.pdf Research Database of Archive Newspapers (2018), Online. Available at: http://newspaperslibrary.org/articles/eng/Castletroy [Accessed 15 Jan 2018].

School of Architecture, University of Limerick (2009), “Intelligence Unit” Available at: http:// iu.saul.ie/about.html [Accessed 17 Dec 2017].

Sheridan, A. (2016), Over 4000 on housing waiting list in Limerick’, Limerick Leader, 31 Mar. Available at: http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/205102/Over-4-000-on-housingwaiting.html (31 Mar, 2016).

Slattery, L. (2017), Construction industry growth hits 15-month high’, Irish Times, 12 Jun. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/construction/construction-industry-growthhits-15-month-high-1.3115968 (12 Jun, 2017).

The Department of Housing, Planing and Local Government (2018), ‘Register of Housing Bodies with Approved Status Under Section 6 of the Housing Act 1992’. Online. Available at: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/voluntary-and-cooperative-housing/ register-housing-bodies-approved-status The Department of Housing, Planing and Local Government (2016), ‘Table of maximum net income limits in Social Housing Assessment Regulations’. Online. Available at: https://www. housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/ Housing/table_with_2016_income_limits.pdf Tierney, D. (2016), “Where are we now on regeneration in Limerick”, Irish Examiner, 14 Aug. Available at: http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/213266/q-a-where-are-we-now-onregeneration-in-limerick.html (14 Aug, 2016).

Woulfe, J. (2017), Limerick social housing plan will lead to stigmatisation’, Irish Examiner, 24 Oct. Available at: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/limerick-social-housing-plan-willlead-to-stigmatisation-461542.html (24 Oct, 2016).

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APPENDICES

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APPENDIX A - MEWS LANE PROJECT

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APPENDIX B - PRODUCTIVE FRAGMENTS COMPETITION

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APPENDIX C - LITERATURE REVIEW

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APPENDIX A PREAMBLE - THE MEWS PROJECT Once it became clear that the proposal was going to be based in the Mews Lanes, it became extremely important to become familiar with these lanes on a very practical level. There was no existing document that covered the lanes in depth within the Georgian Quarter, so the Author, compiled a survey of each lane.

Most of the lanes do not have a distinctive name, or at least the original lane name has been forgotten, so part of the survey demanded a method of categorising the information collected. The Author achieved this by identifying the: 1. Block 2. Lane 3. Elevation Photograph 4. Characteristics Once completed the survey was published online with Issuu (https://issuu.com/newtownpery/docs/

mewsbooklet) so that it could be accessed by the public and in particular by those wishing to participate in the Productive Fragments ideas competition (see Appendix B).

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APPENDIX B PREAMBLE - PRODUCTIVE FRAGMENTS COMPETITION As part of Irish Design 2015 the Author held and ideas competition called Productive Fragments. The following are examples of the posters designed to advertise the competition as well as the entries submitted and exhibited in Mews House of Limerick City of Culture headquarters, Pery Square, Limerick on the 14th June to the 28th June 2015.

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For more information and to enter please visit our website: www.newtownpery.com

Winning Design - 1000e 9 runners-up will be displayed as part of a city design exhibition.

Deadline for Submissions - 17:00hrs, Mon June 15, 2015

An Open Competition for designers of all disciplines to explore the potential of Limerickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extensive network of Mews Lanes. All designs are invited to propose a concept that will attract and encourage people to live in the city centre.

S E C T I O N A L P E R S P E C T I V E O F N E W M E W S L A N E W I T H A P PA R T M E N T OVER SHOPS AND BRIDGES AND GARDENS PROVIDING LINKS TO T H E R E N O VAT E D O R I G I N A L S T R E E T H O U S E

LOWER GLANWORTH STREET

O CONNELL STREET

HENRY STREET

The Georgian grid of Newtown Pery provides the basis for a rigorous urban framework. The challenge is finding the means to adapt and renew while retaining a sense of the intrinsic value of itsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; character, which is informed by the plot size, proportions of openings in the façade and a particular material aesthetic.

The Georgian house is best understood through analysis of the cross section, which orders and layers the different activities in terms of function, status, hierarchy. The relationship to the street is highly defined: the raised ground floor and open basement area allow a clear and formal relationship to the street while the cross section affords privacy by means of separation from the footpath.

The mews building was traditionally the servant building to the house, separated by a garden. The mews building plugged in to the service lane and housed stables and later garages.

Over time this relationship has been eroded. The Georgian house has been converted and adapted for other uses and the mews buildings disconnected from the mother ship.

We now reconsider the symbiotic relationship between house and mews, served and servant. As in the original, the cross section is key to analysis and synthesis of a contemporary framework for adaptation of the Georgian grid.

Our proposal is to reinstate the mews as a service building that provides the infrastructure to enable the houses to be restored to their original form, and their original use. The mews lane framework is developed into a secondary framework, overlaid on the Georgian grid, which provides all of the services and facilities required for inner city living, including below ground parking, convenience stores, dry cleaners, post office, kindergarten, cafes and bars. Universal access is provided to all units and the lane provides priority access for pedestrians.

The mews would also serve the original house directly in many ways.

Each Georgian plot could be equipped with a tower at the rear containing lift, plant, utility and services: these towers are the battery pack which re-energises the original house, allowing the rooms to be restored to their original clarity.

CROSS SECTION OF PROPOSED MEWS LANE

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PA R T P L A N S H O W I N G F I R S T F L O O R O F A PA G R O U N D F L O O R R E TA I L A N D S O C U I A L U S E

HOUSE TO STREET GROUND AND FIRST FLOOR COMMERCIAL WITH RESIDENTIAL ON FLOORS ABOVE

The mews building may accommodate ancillary functions not easily accommodated in the house when this is used as a workplace or chambers: storage, print room, canteens, changing rooms.

The mews buildings will have apartments above the retail and service units, each with their own terrace.

The original Georgian house may revert to residential use with maisonettes on the first and upper floors, and workplace on the ground or lower ground floors.

The rear gardens are combined providing horizontal communal space, with access points from the mews lane in contrast to the vertical layering of the Georgian house.

The design strategy aims to revitalise Newtown Pery by facilitating the return of residents of all ages and family size to live in the historic centre.

The key to this renewal is the reconstruction of the mews lane as an efficient framework that plugs in services, access and amenities to the Georgian structures, allowing these to provide pure and elegant space.

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RE MA ET Thanks to Gerard Walsh and Michael McLaughlin, Fab Lab, School of Architecture, LL OW University of Limerick for their generous use of the Limerick 3D printed Model.

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LS

ST RE ET

ST RE ET LA NE OF FIC E

8.5

LS

ES

The Mews : Venue is a free standing superstructure that can be installed in the space without the need to interfere with the existing Georgian remnants. Standing on 12 sole plates, it can be craned into position and assembled in situ.

LS

W RO

E'S PIK

LS

LS

PO ST

MIL L

LS

NE WE NH AM

CA TH ER IN E

BIS HO P'S

TH E

8.2

REALISATION:

LS

S

LS

9.9

LANE

LS

LS

G.P.O.

G S Sta

LS

LS

ES

LS

ST RE ET

Bank

LS

LS

LS

4.4

TKs

LS

13.9

OLD

LS

HE NR Y

Po sts

Q UA Y

M oo rin g

HW M MP

TK s

LS

4.5

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LS

Tank

ST LSRE ET

LS

LS

LS

Catherine Street

LS

Hotel

TK s

TH OM AS

LS

11.8

ET RE ST

Mud

ST RE ET

RO CH ES

ST RE ET Bank

LS

Cornmarket Villas 1-11

LS

R PE UP

ssell's uay

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Car Park

LS

WIL LIA M

LA NE

NE LA

ES

4.7

11.6

8.9

LS

7.3

LS

FIN RIF G

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AU GU ST IN IA N LS

Cecil Street

D AL ER G

LS

LS

TK

LS

10.4

HEU STO

8.4 RO W

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ST RE ET

9.8 9

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SEA N

LS

(Site of)

ST

LO WE R

Mungret Gate

K AR NM DE

LS

SH AN Hall NO N

M

LS LS

LS

Car Park

R UP

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4.3

LS

B

ES

LS

LS

ST RE ET

CAT HERLITT IN LE E ST REE T

QU AY

HO W LE Y'S

ES

LS

LS

9.6

T KE AR M

LS

Shrine

LS

ET RE ST

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Milk Market

LS

K AR NM DE

6.1

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BM 7.42 7.1

RN CO

LS

ST RE ET

LS

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LS

STREET

ROBERT

WIL LIA M

Bank

Hall

LS

LS

The inspiration for the design echoes the sails and rigging of Georgian era ships, through to the harsh industrial recycling landscape of the docks today.

SH AN NO N

LS

ST RE ET

LS

LS

Car Pa

LS

ST RE ET

ON NE ST LL RE ET

HE NR Y

MP

LS

MP

LS LS

TO DD 'S

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MP

ST RE ET

LS

LS

LS

RO W

Toilet

5.9 LS

Quimper Square

CAT LITT HER LE IN E ST REE T

LS

LS

LS

BO W

LS

5.1

(Cath)

WIC KH AM

BE DF OR D

LS

LS LS

Car Park

Church

CR UIS E'S

FO X'S

ST RE ET

QU AY

HA RV EY 'S

LS

Mungret Court

LS

ST RE ET

SA RS FIE LD

LS

ES

LS

LS MP

Car Park

LS

LE TT LI

DE NM AR K

LA NE

MP

INSPIRATION: LS

ST RE ET

ROW

ST RE ET

EN ELL

CH AP EL

FR AN CIS CAN

PUNCH'S

4.9

T EE STR

LS

STR EET

MP

LS

LS

LS

ES

AN NE

MP

MP

5.0

LS

MP

MP

nd d gle

LS

CA RR

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Bank

5.1

MP

Opening of the floating Docks Limerick, 1853

MP

LS

Car Park

LS LS

St Michaels Court 1-18

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ES

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EL LE N

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LS LS

AL LE Y

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SA RS FIE LD

Hotel MP

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5.1

HIG HS TR EE T

Jetty

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LS

LS

MA RK ET

LS

Tara Court

LS

LS

LID DY

Slipway

LS

7.2

MP

Town Wall LS

LS

QU AY

ST RE ET

MP

MP

5.3

Tourist Office

HO NA N'S

ST RE ET

LS

LS

MP

Boat Club

LS

LS

MP

MP

LS

4.0

LS

Warehouse

LS

LS

FS MP

MP

Car Park

Ho

LS

PA TR IC K

MP

Un de rpa ss

LS

LS

BM 8.53

LS

LS

O'C AL LA GH AN 'S

LS

ST RA ND

Strand Court (apts)

GARD ENS

MP

Grave Yard

Factory

M UN GR ET

LS

Arthers Quay Park

LS

QUAY

N'S NA HO

MICHAE L

R IV ER

LS

LS

MP LS

MP

QUAY

MP

Rowing Club

Gate

(Site of)

Warehouse

B M 5.65

ARTH UR'S

Sarsfield Bridge LS

(Site of)

5.5 LS

FS

5.2

LS

Car Park

4.1

LS

Arthur's Quay Park

LS

4.9

Castle

STRE ET

Jetty

Bridge

LS

ES

STRE ET

LS

LS

Slipway

Baal's

QUAY

BM 5.12

LS

FRAN CIS

LS

LS

AN SH

LS

CHAR LOTT E'S

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

RIVE R

HWM LS

RUTL AND

LS

Marina

STRE ET

As a market area there is capacity for ~3000 people, as a performance venue, it can be configured into a main auditorium with a capacity of 1700 and/or a smaller venue of 1000.

The area is flexibleNONin its use.

LS

LS

ES

ABB EY

LS

HWM

Mooring Posts

Hostel

QU AY LS

B M 5.34

7.4

LS

LS

LS

LS

ST RE ET

BM 6.58

LS

ES

LS LS

School

LS

Mathew Bridge

Sand and Shingle

5.8

7.6

PLACE

EMILY

LS

Hellsgate Island

LS

LS

LS

LS FB

LS

Hotel

LA NE

LS

(apts)

LS

CO UR T

School

LANE

Tro ss ac hs

Th e

Tc e

W es le y

Cú (1 l N -4 a G ) ré in é

Car Park

Our vision of the space opening onto Cecil St. is a cultural space, a market space and a performance space.

LS

LS

M HW

4.1

Wellesley Court

LS

LS

LS

ET RE STLS 6.8

B M 4.96

Boat House

T EA M

LS

BA C K

PA RK

BE LL EF IELD LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS NE LA

T KE AR M

CR EA GH

SHANNON

GAR DE NS BE LL EF IELD

LS

AD RO

LS

LS

D AN ISL

Using a parasitic approach to rein-habiting these spaces, a new sense of purpose will be created, bringing with it social and economic growth.

Q UA Y

LS

7.8

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LS

LS

TS AN CH ER M

Court House

MP

HWM Sand and Shingle

LS

LS

9.2

Tomb

Elevation via the Cecil Street Entrance

LS

Castle Court

CONCEPT:

LS

Yards

LS

LS

LS

Credit Union

LS ET RE ST

LS

Tomb

Grave

B M 4.66

LS

LS RD KA UN HL AT

ET RE ST

LS

AH LS

ET RE ST

LS

LS

d d anngle San Shi

10.6

(C of I)

LS ES

LS

LU ATH

6.7

S LA HO NIC

RK PA

GARDENS

LS

St Mary's Cathedral

LS LS

Sand and Shingle

LS

LS 4.3

LS

GE AN CH EX

LS

LS

BM 4.34

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LS

Curragour Falls

Rock

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LS

E AC LS PL

Flat

LS

LS

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Flat Rock

R TE PE

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Civic Building's

Flat Rock

LS

K R PA

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St Ann's Court

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LS

ST

3.6

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Curragour Falls

Flat Rock

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l Wal

Flat Rock

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LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

BM

RK PA

PA RK

Besieged by years of negative press, urban decay and negative economic growth, the spaces left by Limericks Georgian architecture have gradually become wastelands.

St Munchin's Regional Hospital

LS

LS

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BIE OS CR

S EN RD GA

BRIEF:

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NE LA

Flat Rock

LS

LS

n Tow

G RIN SP CK RO

PR IOR Y

(Cath)

LS

LS

11.2

Church

4.2

LS

LL CE

R'S TE PE

LS

ST

LS

ES

ST

Car Park

CIS AN FR

E AC PL

LS

Kevin J. O’Sullivan : Aidan O’Sullivan

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS LS

BM 4.62

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(apts)

C

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A Cultural Space in the Heart of Limerick City Heritage Close

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W RO

LS

LS

LS

LS

ET RE ST

LS

LS

ES US T HO OUR

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BELLEFIELD GARDENS

le hing dS d an San

Castle Blake or Farranshone (Site of)

LS

ON SHANN

ND STRA

GARDENS

LS

LS

NE LA

LS

LS

3.5

LS

LS

Tank

ne La

MS AL

HWM

Parochial House

LS

LS

(Apts)

BS

tle Cas

Presbytery

School

S LA HO NIC

LS

'S NCY CLA

BELLEFIELD

S EN RD GA

R RIVE

W VIE LE ST CA

The Mews : Venue NE LA SS MA

LS

LS

BS

Y'S LL KE

(Cath)

LS

Jeremy Hall Court

LS

Treaty Stone

Church

LS

LS

LS

School LS

LA NE

LS

School LS

3.5

LS

10.3

BR ID GE

Te rra ce

RO W

LS

LS

T LS EN NV CO LS

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P HO BIS

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ET RE ST

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

BS

LS

LS

Villa

D ON OM TH

BELLFIELD GROVE

5.6

LS

LS

LS LS

LS

UE ce EN rra Te AV W view VIE Castle LE ST CA s

LS

6.2

(Site of)

LS LS

Shelbourne Gardens

ma Em

G le nv ie w

LS

BS

BM 6.85

Thomond Gate

9.8

STREET

CASTLE

LS

W HIT E

Treaty Villas

LS

LS

6.3

ST RE ET

LANE HALLO RAN'S

Co urt Be lfie ld

UE EN AV

LS

LS

LS

Thomond Bridge

BM 6.88 7.5 LS

LS

LS

Thomond Bridge

LS

Terra ce

AD

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LS

T

Osm ingt on

DE RA PA

W VIE EN GL

RO Treat AD y Ter ra

LB

PO

LS

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HIG H ES

LS Ramp

Ta nk

Schools

Richmond Park

LS

Sluice

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ES MP

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LS

LS

LS

Mu d

LS

LS LS

LS LS

5.1

M u d

Fn

LS

LS

6.82

LS

School

LS

LS LS

Sports Ground

O'Dwyer Bridge

ABBEY

38 kv

LS

LS

LS

10kv

BM

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

VALE

LS

ABBEY LOCK

LS

Y ABBE

HWM

LS

Boat Club

Parochial House

LS

LS

LS

LS

Slipway LS

LS

LS

LS

LOCK

3.9 LS

Mud

Pier

Mud

5.0

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

SIR HAR RY'S MAL L

HW

LS

M

HW

S YE KE

LS

LS

LS

W RO

RO W

Park Bridge

M

LS

HE RN E'S

Keepe r Vie w Tce .

8.0

LS

M u d

LS

ARD UNK

LS

LS

EET STR

3.7

Well

BS 7.9

LS

LS

BS LS LS

RIVER

LANE

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

Abbey Lane

MAL L

LS

LS

AL CAN

Sport's Ground

LS

LS

6.2

Sports Ground

Grove

LONG

LANE

HARR Y'S

St Francis Abbey (Site of)

HWM

LS

LS

LS

Island

(St Patrick's Ph) MP

LS

Interior View of Main Auditorium

SIR

LS

10kv

M HW

LS

HWM

LS

LS

LS

Mud

4.9

Warehouse

AL CAN LS

LS

Lock Gate

Lock Gate

Underpass

LS

O'Brien's

Flats

4.3

LS

LOCK

LS T

LS

LS

LS

QUAY

LS LS

Park

St Lelia Place

LS

3.4

LS

LS

CLAR E

LS

LS

LS

STRE ET

5.0

Tanks

Fn

Wareh ouse

3.5

LS Tank

Tank

Tanks Tank

Tanks LS

PL AC E

LS

LANE

FLAG

Tank

LS

LS

LS

LS

3.4

6.1

CURRY

(Cath)

LS

Garveys Range

LS

STREET

GRATTAN LS

LS

LS

l Wal

LS

T EE STR

CLA RE LS

ET RE ST

CA BB AG E

Garde ns

e Th

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LS

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S' ME JA

11.3 BM 12.39 Fn

LS

LS

LS

Monument

(Cath)

LS

LS

AD RO

"S ITH SM

NE LA

LS

PL AC E

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LS

School

LS

LS

LS

BM

14 .8 1

SOUTH Shrine

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RO SS AA VE NU E

LS

AUN CLAUGH

LS

SINGLAND VILLAS

LS

LS LS

T ES W

LS

School

11.89

12.3

LS

12.4

LS

Ter race

LS

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Limerick Prison

14.0 LS

LS

St. John 's

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Vill

Grattan Villas

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LS

St

LS

LS LS

AV EN UE

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LS 12.3

JO HN 'S

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LS

LS

LS

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14.6

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175

Vill as

Fie ld

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Park View Terrace

ENT CRES

16 .41

Ga rryo we n

BM Tanks

Mar ke ts'

LS

LS

LS

SI NGLA ND

GH OU OR XB RO

Tank

ROAD

LS

LS

LS

11.3

LS

LS LS

EAST

LS 12.0

Cecil Street Elevation (Main Entrance)

Vil la s

Catherine Street Elevation

AD BM D RO AN GL LS SIN

LS

GLAND T SIN MOUN

LS

G era ld in e

14.3 LS

LS

AND SINGL

LS 11.9

BM 13.64

Bus Ã&#x2030;ireann

LS

13.3

LS

LS

13.1

LAS ND VIL SINGLA

LS

LS

Scale Model

LS

ES

LS

13.4

ST RE ET

LS

LS

LS

E AVENU HAUN CLAUG LS

LS

Greyhound Race Track

LS

MU LG RA VE

COURT

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

ck Tra

LS

T COUR

LS LS

Race

BM 13.14

LS

PATH

LS

AD RO

LS

LS LS

LS

LS

Sports Ground

Greyhound

LS

LS

ROAD

LS

LS

LS

LS

12.5

HAUN CLAUG

THE

Electricity Station

LS

Haymarket

LS

LS LS

15.O LS

LS

38kv

LS

LS

LS

LS

ON

Floor Plan

HAUN CLAUG

LS

ROAD

LS

G AR RY O W LS EN

Stand

LS

HAUN CLAUG

LS

LS

Fire Station

LS

NORTH

LS

11.8 LS

LS

LS

UE AVEN

LS

LS

LS

T R U O C

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Rossa Villas

Y EID R

LS

EY DOWN

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS LS

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Car Park

LS

LS

LS

LS LS

LS

CA TH ED RA L

ET RE ST

11.1

LS

LS

LS

LS LS

LS

LS

LS Presbytery

LS

LS

LS

LS

E AVENU RRY KILMU

T COUR RRY KILMU

NE LA

Sarsfield Statue

LS LS

ROAD RRY KILMU

ST JOHN'S CATHEDRAL

UE EN AV

LS

LS

T COUR

Y RR MU KIL

AVENUE

LS

LS

LS

LS

LD SFIE SAR

LS

LS

EN W YO RR GA

NE LA

W RO

(Disused)

RRY KILMU

K AC RR BA

'S M LIA IL W

LS

N'S NA EN BR

Grave Yard

LS

ET RE Y ST WNE DO

LS

LS LS

rt Cou ss Cro -4) (1

(Site of)

LS

Sarsfield Court

LS PO

LS

Church

LS

EET STR

LS 11.1

LS

LS

NE KEA

LS

EET STR

LS

PE NN YW EL L

ST

LS

LS

Park

NE KEA

LS

LS

(Site of)

LS

School

LS

LS

John's Gate

Kilmurry Park LS

LS

AVE

Citadel

LS

LS

LS LS

LS

L EL YW NN PE LS

LS

LS

ET RE ST

LS LS

LS

LS

LS LS

FIELD SARS

LS

Tce

Hospital

Grave Yard

rt ou sC hn Jo St

LS

ROAD

(C of I)

dral he Cat

ce lT dra the Ca

Shrine

JOHN'S SQUARE

LS

LS

ET STRE OD LS FLO

ET RE ST

LS

Church

LS

St Patrick's Court

LS

LS

LS

John's Square

LS

ES

LS

LS

LS

BM 10.21

CH UR LS CH

LS

8.3

T UR CO

LS

LS

DO WN EY

Devil's Battery

LS

BM 8.35

ES LS LS

Y KILMURR

l Wal

The Gables

9.5

E AC PL

LS

L RA ED TH CA

LS

W NE

7.2

ROAD

d Villas Good Sheper

n Tow

8.5

NEW

LS

LS

7.1 LS

AD RO

LS

LS

LS

EET STR

LS LS

ET RE ST

LS

LS

LS

LS

Johnsgate Villas

8.6

LS

L YWEL PENN

ES

LS

Tank 6.9

LS LS

DU

LS

LS

8.2

LS

STRE ET

5.0 4.5

LS

Th e LS

ES

LS

LS

LS LS

School

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

ark

LS

Good Shepherd Avenue

College

Tank

LS

LS

LS

4.1

ING KEAT

MA RK ET

LS

8.1

LS

ON

LS

OLD

Sallyport

LS

'S HN JO

LS FR AN CIS

LS

LS

LS

5.7

STREET UPPER CLARE LS

LS LS

ET RE ST

LS

ET STRE

TK

LS

LS

VITT DA

LS

LS

4.3

LS

L EL CH MIT 7.8

LS BM 4.98

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

n Tow

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS LS

OLD

LS

LS

LS

4 BM 7.9

Workshops

BM 5.27

STREET

7.3 SHERHY'S LANE

4.0

STR EET

LS

LS

Grattan Court

LS

LS

LS

LS

LS

LELIA

LS

LANE

ST

ST RE ET

LS

LS

CLAR E

BOW

JOYNT'S

MUNGRET LANE

Church 3.7 LS

LS

ostel

3.4

LAN E

CLA RE

LANE

CAMPBELLS

ES

OLD

LS

UPPER PENNYWELL

STREET

LS

LS

LS

CLAUGHAU N VILLAS

LANE

5.0

LS LS

MO ORE 'S LS

Ga rd en s

BROAD

SULLIVANS

O'SU LLIV AN 'S

LS

LS

PARK ROAD

HWM LS BM 6.39

LS

LS

MP

MP

LS

LS

BM 7.56

LS

23

LS

LS

LS

LS LS

LS LS LS

LS

176

Key

Site analysis: Newtown Pery city blocks in order of privacy

Concept image

Public space

Private space

Vehicular access

As well as considering the urban fabric, the design seeks to revive the Georgian houses.

The historic houses have a traditional construction that limits the functions of the spaces. By alterating the building’s section in a number of ways can provide a flexible interior space. These adaptations don’t alter the Georgian facades and therefore don’t alter the character of the street.

The interior space can be altered in specific ways to match the users needs. For example, in the second

Concept drawing: Reconnecting the Newtown Pery with a pedestrian-only pathway

Newtown Pery’s rigid grid and alleyways provide a great opportunity to establish a relationship between the city blocks. In the past these alleyways were bustling with activity and only designated for pedestrians. Threading a continuous path between these blocks will revive their cores and establish an interaction with the city’s vast history and hertiage.

Predecessing cities were villages. Villages in Ireland and around the world developed principles that allowed the inhabitants to be self sustaining and connect with the surrounding landscape. As cities are increasing in size and popultation, these principles need to be reimagined and threaded back into the urban fabric for the city to be reinhabitable again. Therefore the concept is to imagine the city blocks of Newtown Pery as independent villages. Each village block contains residential as well as a mix of functions. Furthermore to encourage a more livable city each avillage block specialises in a funciton, for instance culture, sports etc.

Limerick’s historic urban fabric has declined and disconnected the city. Newton Pery and the Georgian grid is crucial in the redevelopment of the city and can act as a catalyst for surrounding areas. The city block has defined the streets, but the functionality and adaptability of its buildings has resulted in the migration of inhabitants.

City Village Blocks

177

Elevation of Lower Hartstonge Street

Plan of Newtown Pery

Section through traditional Georgian House

Section through adapted Georgian House

section this space has been adapted for a live/work unit for a large sculpture artist.

178

socialentrepreneurs.ie

impacthub.net

neuehouse, NY

It is also an environment that can unite a disparate community of micro enterprises to a focused area to encourage collaboration and create opportunities to grow and evolve what they do.

It is reflective of the environments that attract and influence the people of micro and large scale enterprises that are leading the way in the technology and design revolution—the current transition period to a the connected world—with the intention of encouraging Limerick to be at the heart of this revolution.

It is future planning of emerging urban trends of moving away from private car ownership towards quality connected public transport, shared bike and shared car schemes.

An environment that is conducive to creating an urban lifestyle of modern living and working in and that has the potential to grow and spill into the Georgian Grid.

The core concept is in creating a Campus like environment that encourages creativity and innovation, community and cooperation.

Campus City

At off-peak traffic periods, the campus concept could spill into the Georgian Grid, and then retreat during peak traffic times.

Creating a shared space lane would extend the Georgian Grid pattern and create a more through flow area.

Large scale, similar concept

Some private parking areas could serve multiple purposes at different times‚ parking during working hours, local residents park for after work hours and a public space at weekends and holidays

Investigate the potential to develop urban based “derelict” activity centres

179

The outdoor room effect could be enhanced with furniture, where each piece is an individual design installation in it’s own right.

Having the network of lanes devoid of infrastructural fittings (signs, lampposts etc., instead built into structures), it creates an inviting outdoor room like effect. And as it crosses the grid streets, it gives priority of people over cars, while announcing and enticing people to explore the network.

As the campus city concept grows and spills over from the lanes and alleys network, select areas of the Georgian Grid can also start to reveal element of the mural.

Night & Day is a concept to whereby the lanes take on an alternative and illuminated appearance when dark.

The concept of the mural pavement is to be in contrast to the paving of the grid streets, to create a paving that is one, but always different, uniting a dissected and dispersed environment. Viewed from satellite, it can give the impression the city was built on top of a lost art, and how the network is uncovering the heart of the city.

This gallery display concept illustrates in action, the underling theme that creates the campus community, building relationships and creating an experience for those who live, work and pass through the network of lanes and alleys.

For business premises, the arched windows become gallery like displays, exhibiting produce or the stories of the business—what they do, why it matters, what inspires them, their aims and goals, whose lighting spills out to further illuminate the lanes.

The architectural character of the buildings are highlighted through building illumination designed to double up as street lighting.

As the pavement mural becomes obscured by darkness, the pavement comes alive with built in lighting—an illuminated catwalk, a starry night, crossed lines etc.

NIGHT & DAY

MURAL PAVEMENT

Van Gogh cycle path

Starpath pavement lighting

core concepts

The square is essentially a clock, an hour circle inside a minute circle, each constantly rotating, each with seating where people can literally enjoy time passing on short or long; coffee, shopping or lunch breaks, as their view of the city constantly and literally changes; with graphics that are conversation starters connecting Limerick with events in time and places around the world; in a square with canvas like walls ideal for temporary and permanent large scale installations.

It’s make up is a confluence of the designs of the greater city environment and the lanes and alley environment. It is also an introduction to the cities main streets of a campus city concept, which has the potential to grow to encompass the Newtown Park Georgian Grid.

The concept is to create a central urban civic space, a public meeting point that is central to the Georgian Grid, and an introduction point to the network of lanes and alley ways.

TIMES SQUARE

A potential multiple purposes area—parking during working hours / local residents space, and at weekends, an intimate outdoor performance area

This also enhances the lane network environment and creates a wildlife corridor through the city, offering a contrasting environment to the grid streets.

It extends “life” in the city encouraging the premises to have to fronts, rather than turning their back on a large portion of the city.

It creates a more attractive and realistic living environment and makes better use of valuable space is otherwise mainly used for parking.

This creates private, secure garden spaces accessible to the occupants of the surrounding buildings.

The Hanging Gardens concept is a nod towards the Hanging Gardens on Henry Street, a extension of the Biodiversity Garden on Thomas Street and an inverting of Georgian Squares from the front of the buildings to behind them.

HANGING GARDENS

Inverting the Georgian Square to Hanging Gardens

SPACE OF FLO a. Roof Garden b. Playground c. Ground Chess d. Outdoor Gym e. Urban Farm f. Mini Golf g. Bar h. Raised Promenade i. Market

a.

b. d.

Existing Green Areas in Newtown Pery

f. h.

i.

Proposed Green Areas in Newtown Pery

Section Scale 1:200

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OWS

From the micro to the macro, Limerick is a city of layers. No layer survives in isolation. Limerick accommodates people and their homes, enterprises, shops, schools, communitiesâ&#x20AC;Ś Communities, whatever their scale, establish themselves on the basis of need, periodically requiring regeneration.

Mews lanes form a characteristic component of Georgian era developments, such as Limerick. These are quiet throughways, where urban scales, sounds and activities give way to pockets of tranquility, more suggestive of the rural. The mews lane derives paradoxically from increasing intensity of urbanization.

Mews lanes are an underused and neglected spatial resource within the cityscape, being subsumed by conceptual layers of control and restriction, isolating them from community habitation and utilization.

The addition of physical layers of community space within the mews area assists in the removal of barriers. These spaces may consist of parkland and allotments, community and kitchen gardens, cycle and running tracks, sports and community facilitiesâ&#x20AC;Ś

c.

e.

Ground/Market Level Perspective

g.

Roof Garden Level Perspective

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The aim of the following project is to offer a new perspective on how to reinvigerate the city and activate Limerick’s under-utilised lanes. The pery grid offers a unique and masterful means of city organization. The problems adressed with “The Laneways” project is that the city has turned away from much of what makes it so unique. The idea of merging a new grid with an the preexising grid is a intriging one.

The new network of pedistrain laneways has been established to pull together loose strands of the city. This network focused attention back to its lanes and, importantly, back to the River Shannon. Unity and connection is something the city lacks and desperatly needs. The project brings a unbiased framework to the city. By following a geometry soley based on need and connection, a new, richer, city fabric can be created.

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Historic images of Limerick laneways

Limerick Laneways Limerick has a history of laneways. Whether they were used for horse and carriages, delivering coal, places to live, or storage for wheely bins, they are a core spatial scenario in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fabric.

For my generation, the laneways have been dull, noisy, and sometimes neglected parts of the city. However in recent years laneways have become far more appealing than ever.

There is relief when I turn a corner from the busy car-dominated William Street and faced with the brickolage and charm Foxes Bow has to offer.

It is my belief that by pedestrianising these muse lanes, we give the possibility to really extend the potential spatial experience of walking though the city.

Recent images of Limerick laneways. Notice how the use of art work enhances the detailing of these places, making them more appealing to walk through

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Planting turns muse lane to residential garden. Harstonge Place

Bicycle Park. Schoolhouse Lane

Here are some projective examples of how muse lanes could become reimagined spatially and materially. By planting, or designating them as bicycle parks or art installation spaces, these laneways will develop more foot fall, and become destination, rather than merely passage ways.

These images were made my collaging new material textures over my own photographs of Limerick muse lanes.

Flood Garden, Phayerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lane

Art Installation. Griffith Row

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APPENDIX C PREAMBLE - THE LITERATURE REVIEW The following is a collection of short essays and observations undertaken throughout the research to create a theoretical framework on which to base the overall research. The context in which an urban intervention could be proposed needed to be cognissant of the various social, political, commercial and historical strands that operate within any city. These essays are based on a variety of sources such as 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s urban planning in North America to the current vision of the Local Authority for Limerick City itself .

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Literature Review

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Literature Review

1

Jane Jacobs - The Death and Life of Great American Cities

3

Introduction

3

The Conditions for City Diversity

7

Forces of Decline and Regeneration

9

Different Tactics

10

Jan Gehl - Life between Buildings & Cities for People Modernism

12

12

The Car

14

People Scale

14

Kevin Lynch - The Image of a City

16

William H Whyte - Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

19

Limerick City Development Plan 2010-2016

21

The Importance of Paths

16

Georgian Limerick and the Development of the City

21

History

21

Council Initiatives

23

The Mews

24

Limerick 2030

27

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Jane Jacobs - The Death and Life of Great American Cities Introduction In “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, Jane Jacobs declares “it is an attack, rather, on the principles and aims that have shaped modern, orthodox city planning and rebuilding.”1 and modern planning seems to be only concerned with the simple issues surrounding traffic while wilfully ignoring the intricate and complex fragments of contemporary society. “The simple needs of automobiles and more easily understood and satisfied and the complex needs of cities, and a growing number of planners and designers have come to believe that if they can only solve the problem of traffic, they will thereby have solved the major problem of cities.”2

She describes the predominant ideas of well established planning principles, such as Howard’s Garden City where Ebenezer Howard designed the Garden City as a response to the desperate living conditions of poor in nineteenth century London. “The Garden City was to be in circled with a belt of agriculture. Industry was to be in it planned preserves, schools, housing and greens in planned living preserves:; and in the centre were to be commercial, club and cultural places held in common.”3 Jacobs describes this planning scheme of self-sufficient small towns as “paternalistic” and “ideal for all but those with a plan for their own lives.”4 The legacy of this planning approach can still be seen today with the zoning and segregation of uses resulting in large swathes of dull monotonous cityscape.

The City Beautiful approach to planning was developed to set aside the monuments and landmarks from the less notable buildings in the city, and connect them through a series of 195

parks and boulevards. Corbusier Radiant City, engaged a tabla rasa approach erasing all existing city structure and placing skyscrapers on a monotonous plane. In the instances where these approaches were adopted by planners, “invariably the ordinary city around them ran down instead of being uplifted, and they always acquired an incongruous room rim of ratty tattoo parlours and secondhand clothing stores, or else just nondescript, dispirited decay.”5

These approaches all share one common theme - the sorting and segregating of urban functions into distinct zones/spaces results in monotonous unappealing cities. Jacobs argues that all these planning schemes are irrelevant to how cities work, and states that, “unstudied, and unrespected, cities have served a sacrificial victims.”6 She continues to outline a new approach based on nuanced observations of city life.

SIDEWALKS

When Jacobs considers sidewalks, safety and oversight become her primary concern.

Successful street design promotes a sense of trust with the pedestrian and depends on the constant flow of people between the street and surrounding buildings and along the street itself. This oversight generates a natural sense of public support within the pedestrians. As Jacobs puts it, “an unconscious assumption of general street support” when necessary, or an element of “trust”. “cities are, by definition, full of strangers. To any one person, strangers are far more common in big cities then acquaintances.”7, therefore “the bedrock attribute of a successful city district is that a person must feel personally safe and secure on the street among all these strangers.”8

Jacobs also advocates the use of streets as playspaces for children. She believes the natural surveillance that occurs at street level by shopkeepers, shoppers and other street 196

inhabitants, provides a much safer play environment that in a park where she argues there is remarkably less surveillance. Jacobs reports on “interviewing the government house director in Boston’s North End (a low income residential area), he attributes the low delinquency rate to “ the excellent community surveillance of children at play where are the community is at its strongest - on the sidewalks.”9

Jacobs then explores a city neighbourhood, tricky to define for while it is an organ of selfgovernance, it is not self-contained. “the trust of a city street is formed over time from many, many little public sidewalk contacts.”10 The Mews lanes of Limerick are removed lightly from the bustle and inhospitable environment of the traffic but still retain enough interest and urban flavour to promote these small intimate relationships forming over time.

The scale of most of the existing and proposed is low-level therefore ideal for providing the oversight (safety) described earlier in the chapter. “A good city street neighbourhood achieves a marvel of balance between its people’s determination to have essential privacy and their simultaneous wishes for differing degrees of contact, enjoyment or help from the people around. This balance is largely made up of small, sensitively managed details, practised and accepted so casually that they are normally taken for granted.”11

Jacobs recognises the third quality of sidewalks in a city that are characteristic to all liveable neighbourhoods, sidewalks provide a space for children to play. Contrary to most city planners, who strive to get the youth off the streets by providing “clean and happy places, filled with the laughter of children responding to a wholesome environment.”12 She believes that sidewalks provide, not only oversight but support for parents by increasing the number of adults to children ratio, articulating that people are needed to rear children not play equipment in a formal park setting. It also creates a more diverse street life in terms of ages. Wide sidewalks are necessary to provide space for play as well as all the 197

other diverse activities. The patch of grass that accompanies most housing developments, organised so that the scheme is inward looking with no street interaction has now become the norm. This patch of grass forever remains unused, but also “there is a quality even meaner than outright ugliness or disorder, and this mean your quality is the dishonest mask of pretended order, achieved by ignoring or suppressing the real order that is struggling to exist and be served.”13 Even though the provision of parks and green spaces are venerated by city planners, an empty space, such as a park does not necessarily provide a good urban space.

Throughout the book her method of inquiry can be described as the belief that, “cities are thoroughly physical places. In seeking understanding of their behaviour, we get useful information by observing what occurs tangibly and physically, instead of sailing off on metaphysical fancies.”14 Jacobs categorises the urban environment into three distinctive parts; city, districts, and streets, all varying in scale and function.

• Streets operate at a very local level where one can access support immediately.

• Districts are a more formal mechanism whereby representation can be made to the wider city executive.

• The city is the mechanism through which government funding can be accessed.

As Jacobs states in the beginning “I hope no reader will try to transfer my observations into guides as to what goes on in towns, or a little cities, are in suburbs which are still suburban. Towns, suburbs and even little cities are totally different organisms from great cities.”15 Although she argues that a small city is not a scaled down version of a big city, the Georgian District in Limerick is physically identifiable through its architecture, what it lacks is the density of population. The lane could provide the connective tissue that helps define the district and provide space to increase the density of population.

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She identifies four aims of planners to create effective districts: • “First, to foster lively and interesting streets.

• Second, to make the fabric of the streets is continuous and network as possible throughout the district of potential sub city size and power.

• Third, do use parks and squares and public buildings as part of this street fabric; use them to intensify and knit together the fabrics complexity and multiple use. They should not be used to Ireland off different uses from each other, or to island off subdistrict neighbourhoods.

• Fourth, to emphasise the functional identity of areas large enough to work as districts.”16

The Conditions for City Diversity “Diversity is natural to big cities.”17 Jacobs believes that a lively city emerges from supporting diversity be it in a social or commercial sense. She identified four conditions which she considers essential to generating and maintaining this diversity: 1. “the district, and indeed as many of its internal parts as possible, must serve more than one primary function; preferably more than two. These must ensure the presence of people who go outdoors on different schedules and are in the place for different purposes who are able to use many facilities in common.

2. Most blocks must be short; that is, streets and opportunities to turn corners must be frequent.

3. The district must mingle buildings that vary in age and condition, including a good proportion of old ones that theory in the economic yield they must produce. This mingling must be fairly close-grained.

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4. There must be a sufficiently dense concentration of people, for whatever purposes they may be there. This includes dense concentration in the case of people who are there because of residence.”18 Jacobs argues against the perception that diversity leads to a visually incoherent cityscape, she believes a city that supports diversity is not mutually exclusive from a beautiful city that maintains a distinctive visual appearance. In addition to this diversity generally makes the streets more walkable, therefore reducing congestion and ensuring the city is more habitable as a result.

Mixed/diverse primary uses that are compatible with existing uses ensures that the public space and sidewalks are in use throughout the day, as well as ensuring a healthy retail environment for city based businesses and bring people to a specific place therefore becoming anchors in the district. Out of these primary uses, spring secondary uses that serve these people drawn to the district by the primary uses. “If secondary diversity flourishes sufficiently and contains enough that is unusual or unique, it's seemingly can and does become, in its accumulation, a primary use itself.”19 In Jacob’s analysis of the cities blocks themselves, the blocks tend to be impenetrable so therefore she concludes that blocks must be small and short. The beauty of the mews lanes is that it can work independent of the existing Georgian block to some extent and the very fact it provides shortcuts is an added bonus as it has the potential to draw people through as a mens of quickly getting from A to B. The diversity of the buildings is also an advantage, as she believes “the only harm of aged buildings to a city district or street is the harm that eventually comes of nothing but old-age-the harm that lies in everything being old and everything becoming worn out.” There is little doubt of the quality of the existing buildings within the Georgian block and the mews lanes provide the space for the more

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dilapidated poorly built properties to be replaced adding to the diversity rather than subtracting from the existing quality of the block.

Forces of Decline and Regeneration In her analysis of decline and regeneration in city cycles, Jacobs concludes there are four main factors involved, which can result in “A most intricate and successful organism or economic mutual support and social mutual support has been destroyed by the process.”20 If one considers a successful city environment as an ecosystem that delicately balances the needs and wants of its inhabitants, it’s continuing success is reliant on constantly relishing this diversity but always maintaining the balance. Gentrification is a contemporary term that describes the process through which a diverse and healthy district can be a victim of its own success, where wealthier residents move in pushing out the less affluent inhabitants who can no longer afford to live there. She describes friends of hers who “bought an acre in the country on which to build a house. For many years, while they lacked the money to build, they visited the site regularly and picnicked on a knoll, the site’s most attractive feature. They liked so much to visualise themselves as always there, that when they finally built, they put the house on the knoll. But then the knoll was gone.”21 The decline begins, because an imbalance has occurred within the system. The absence of these residents is felt as the streets become less lively, less inviting lacking the mutual support that had existed there previously. Jacobs suggests to counter this decline the border of a district should be understood and taken advantage of. Along the border of two distinct districts, new recreational uses can be placed, such as parks, theatres etc. This has the capacity to spark a new liveliness in the declining neighbourhood and suture together the ailing district.

Jacobs also identifies the instability of a population can contribute to the decline of a district. In the cases, of slums she believes the population is unstable as the inhabitants 201

are keen to get out rather than stay and invest further in their district. This can lead to a continual decline that can only be countered by renewal projects that develop the inhabitants sense of ownership rather than slum clearing operations undertaken by some cities. “The devices of large-scale clearance, slum shifting, slum immuring, project planning, income sorting, use sorting have become so fixed as planning images and as collections of tactics that city rebuilders, and most ordinary citizens to, face a blank when they try to think of city rebuilding without these means.”22 Jacobs also concludes that although there are different sources of money, private, public and borrowed, they all behave in the same way and by itself, money is limited in its capacity to regenerate a city. Namely an excess of money tends to effect change in an instant way rather than a gradual way, often with little success in achieving its aims particularly in poorer districts.“First the withdrawal of all conventional money, then ruination financed by shadow-world money; then selection of the area by the Planning Commission as a candidate for cataclysmic use of government money to finance renewal clearance”23.

Different Tactics Part four of the book is dedicated to advocating effective tactics that actually improve city performance. These include: subsidised dwellings, attrition of automobiles as opposed to erosion of cities by cars, improvement of visual order without sacrificing diversity, salvaging projects, and redesigning governing and planning districts. Jacobs also offers several suggestions for dealing with social housing and advocates that housing for tenants should not be government provided as the results will be similar to the “housing projects” that provide accommodation for lower income families with similar backgrounds, similar economic circumstances and leave little room for developing diversity within the community. She suggests instead that social housing should be provided for by private developers but subsidised by the government or alternatively rents should be 202

supplemented by the government, based on income, allowing individuals the freedom to choose a place to live. Both of these suggestions offer an opportunity for a diverse social mix in a neighbourhood. Jacobs fully realises that this cooperation between the private and public sector has the potential to create an environment for corruption, and suggests that housing policies should be revised every 8 years or so to prevent this.

The correlation between the provision of public spaces and the ability to access them easily is entirely dependent on an effective transport system. This system of transport must not exceed the hierarchy of creating lively, dense and diverse neighbourhoods. Public transport reduces trafďŹ c congestion and pedestrian routes offer an even better alternative.

The interwoven tapestry of ďŹ&#x201A;ows of people, goods and vehicles with well provisioned public spaces and diverse mix of inhabitants should be the ultimate aim of every city.

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Jan Gehl - Life between Buildings & Cities for People Jan Gehl is an architect based in Copenhagen, that has been working on design strategies for developing successful public spaces. His methodology for this research was developed in conjunction with his wife who is a psychologist. By observing and documenting the ways people occupy a public space, move through it and enjoy it they have developed many successful public spaces both in Copenhagen and internationally.

In the interim since Jane Jacobs writings were published, planning has been dominated by two planning paradigms. One is modernism, 1950’s but started in the 1920’s when a group of modernists, Corbusier in 1933 on cruise ship and signed the CIAM charter of city planning which stated that residences, workplace, recreation and communication must never be placed together.

They must always be kept separated. Then fast forward to 1998, all the city planners in Europe met again 65 years later and signed a new charter which states you must never, ever separate, housing, workplace, recreation and communication.

Modernism This approach also declares that the modern man, is a totally rational different breed of human that requires a brand new approach. So everything that was previously learned in the building of city and space making was abandoned, all the skills and previous knowledge ignored because now we have a brand new species to build for. “Up to this point, older cites all inhabitation were built around spaces. The spaces were designed and then the buildings encircled these spaces. So it was the ensemble of buildings and the society of spaces that were the main focus.”24 With the modernist movement the whole focus began to shift away from this “system” of buildings and spaces to the single building, which was welcomed by architects, who celebrate the single buildings without the fuss of having to put them together or create an ensemble.(See Nolli Plan)

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GIAMBATTISTA NOLLI (1748) - NOLLI PLAN

Corbusiers ideal plan for Paris, was based on the notion that to save Paris you just take it down and construct 24 high rise building where all the Parisians can sit up in the high rise and look out over Paris interspaced with highways. During this period it seemed as though planners were working from airplanes. Where previously, buildings had been designed from the bottom up, in contemporary times buildings from the top down, airlifted onto site, neglecting to consider the spaces on the ground and the people who inhabit them.

Modernism in essence was a farewell to the concern for people. It was about modern man, where form followed function, and all the little games that people played in their settlements were gone. It was also a good-bye to human scale. Because now instead of making spaces, we began to make single buildings, which grew in size, and instead of making in-between spaces we now made leftover spaces. And in this process the notion of human scale was lost. Modern architects and planners are still confused about what is a good scale because of these developments.

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The Car The other great paradigm that exists in modern city building is the car invasion, where now the main concern is to accommodate cars and to create more capacity for more cars, making cities uninhabitable. Furthermore with cars, we have lost another sense of scale. Man is a bi-ped animal meant to move at 5km per hour, were people and details are appreciated and the scale feels more comfortable. When you move to 60km/p/hr you have to make much bigger spaces, much bigger buildings, no details. The overwhelming result of this car invasion is the appointment in most major cities with a transport department and no department dealing with public spaces, people, pedestrians. Architects have to use still photos to communicate your buildings to one another, which creates sculpture not architecture. Still form makes it easier to study form etc, but architecture is the interaction between form and life and its only when form and life interact in a wonderful way do we have wonderful architecture (19:25).

The car invasion really began around 1960 as was the expansion of cities in the western world, unfortunately at this time nothing was known about the interaction between people and buildings.

People Scale “We should respect and examine the small but important elements that makes life in cities flourish.”25 By examining the habits and behaviours of citizens at eye-level, successful spaces can be analysed and understood. People generally tend to use space where: • Climate is comfortable • Details are present • Uses overlap • Senses are stimulated • Indoor meets outdoor Through history the city had developed as a walking environment based on our physiology. As transport and means of moving evolved, so too have our cities evolved to accommodate the newer forms of transport. From a human perspective the success of the car in modern cities has been 206

incredibly damaging for the quality of life in cities. The invasion of the car into city life has given rise to a new form of architecture. Spaces designed for cars, mainly travelling at speed tend to have the following qualities: • Large Signs • No Details • No People • Large Spaces “Much of contemporary city space around the world has been colonised with 60 km/h architecture.”26 This means that without a car, the built environment can feel monotonous, out of scale and even hostile.

At 5km/h scale is reduced, activity is at street level with smaller spaces and smaller signage.

These spaces are now usually only to be found in the old historic centres. Georgian Limerick is fortunate to be design where both modes of transport can be accommodated. Opening up the lanes and prioritising pedestrian architecture has enormous potential to invite people back into city living and revitalise the historic city centre.

To understand how our senses work and how we perceive things, Gehl has identified the following scales and perceptions: • “At a distance of 100m, we are able to see and detect human movement. Places is like the Piazza Navona in Rome and stadiums are designed in this scale.

• At about 25 m, we can recognise facial expressions and dominant moods. Places like neighbourhood squares and theatres are designed in the scale.

• At about 7 m, we are just about able to talk to one another. Public gatherings are typically organised in this range of scale.

• At a range of 3 to 2 m, we are able to have meaningful social conversations. Places like seating arrangements in living rooms are designed in this scale.

• At about 1 m, we are able to have intense personal dialogue with close friends and family. The family dining table is typically arranged in this scale.

• 0.5 m and below are necessary for expressing caring and love”27 207

Kevin Lynch - The Image of a City In the Image of a City, Lynch analyses the temporal nature of the city scape. He reveals that although cities are physical objects constructed on a vast scale, it can only be perceived over time.

“City design, is therefore a temporal art, but it can really use the controls and limited sequences of other temporary arts like music.”28 The book concentrates on the legibility of the city and how people orientate themselves in the urban cityscape through reading the built environment and engaging way-finding techniques.

He looks at the three cities of Boston, Jersey City, and Los Angeles and examines the various ways people navigate through them. “In the process of way-finding, the strategic link is the environmental image, the generalised mental picture of the exterior physical world that is held by an individual. This image is the product both of immediate sensation and of the memory of past experience, and it is used to interpret information and to guide action.”29 Lynch posits that these mental maps and way-finding strategies are created from various elements including paths, edges, districts, nodes, landmarks and a successful urban environment interrelates these elements.

The Importance of Paths “For most people interviewed, paths were the predominant city elements, although their importance varied according to the degree of familiarity with the city. People with least knowledge of Boston tended to think of the city in terms of topography, large regions, generalised characteristics, and broad directional relationships. Subjects who knew the city better had usually mastered part of the path structure; these people thought mote in terms of specific paths and their interrelationships. A tendency also appeared for the people who knew the city best of all to rely more upon small landmarks and less upon either regions or paths. The potential drama and identification in the highway system should nor be underestimated.”30 The mews lanes could provide a similar scenario within Limerick City Centre. The Main Lane providing a well known highly recognised artery for pedestrians with the other lanes providing shortcuts for those who know the district well. Lynch has 208

also identified that special facade characteristics are important for path identity. I can imagine that the main lane would be easily recognisable by the material nature of the paths surface, but the smaller arteries could develop a look, an “aesthetic”, that begins to define the block and take on the nature of the block. Even after considerable study and research of the block, this author finds it difficult to quickly identify one from the other. The main lane has also the advantage of possessing a directional quality, running perpendicular to the contours of the city, running downhill from O’Connell Crescent to Ellen Street, therefore helping to orientate as to whether one is travelling uphill or downhill. “Once a path has directional quality, it may have the further attribute of being scaled: one may be able to sense one's position along the total length, to grasp the distance traversed or yet to go. Features which facilitate scaling, of course, usually confer a sense of direction as well, except for the simple technique of counting blocks, which is directionless but can be used to compute distances.”31 It may be important to create a node or focal point each time a side street crosses the lane, by defining the type of junction, a staggered crossing, a bow lane, a change in level or a widening of the path. Also the author is assuming that where a path and a side street connect, the path is given priority. Lynch also refers to designing detachment into the way finding process and gives the subway or rail system as an example of this. One is not required to “read” the environment in order to navigate it, they just have to follow the signs. This concentration on signage prevents the assimilation and potential enjoyment of navigating through a built environment. In the context of contemporary society, I wonder how Lynch would ponder on navigation given societies dependence on GPS and mobile devices. In fact if the promotion of any public space is dependent on its enjoyment, then the questions of how to get people to look up from their phone or unplug their ears is extremely pertinent and its effects on social inclusion/ exclusion……

In designing paths, Lynch proposes the following guidelines: “The paths, the network of habitual or potential lines of movement through the urban complex, are the most potent means by which the whole can be ordered. The key lines should have some singular quality which marks them off from the surrounding channels: a concentration of some 209

special use or activity along their margins, a characteristic spatial quality, a special text ore of Hour or facade, a particular lighting pattern, a unique set of smells or sounds, a typical detail or mode of planting. Washington Street may be known by its intensive commerce and slot-like space; Commonwealth Avenue by its tree-lined centre.These characters should be so applied as to give continuity to the path. If one or more of these qualities is employed consistently along the line, then the path may be imaged as a continuous, uniďŹ ed element. It may be a boulevard planting of trees, a singular colour or texture of pavement, or the classical continuity of bordering facades. The regularity may be a rhythmic one, a repetition of space openings, monuments, or corner drugstores. The very concentration of habitual travel along a path, as by a transit line, will reinforce this familiar, continuous image. This leads to what might be called a visual hierarchy of the streets and ways, analogous to the familiar recommendation of a functional hierarchy: a sensuous singling out of the key channels, and their uniďŹ cation as continuous perceptual elements. This is the skeleton of the city image.â&#x20AC;?32

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William H Whyte - Social Life of Small Urban Spaces The Seagram Building was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and is located in Manhattan, New York City. The skyscraper is principally noted for its public plaza which is integral to the design.

The aim of this study was to understand what factors made for a vibrant, well used,

functioning public space. Through observation and intense recording, they were able to establish patterns for the well used spaces.

Groups generally consist of 2-3 people but many individuals frequent Seagrams Plaza also. Often the principle activity is just looking. There is little interaction between people not already involved.

They noticed that small groups often stop to converse at corners or in the main pedestrian routes and people often congregate under trees in the sun. The use of architectural subtleties, such as low steps, narrow ledges, edges, flagpoles, planting, seating and convenient stopping places all contribute towards a successful Plaza or public space.

“People tend to sit where there are places to sit”33 (12.05) as a rule one linear foot of seating to every 30 square feet of space works well full. It was a concern that a space could be too successful and become overcrowded but concluded that capacity will often self level. People enjoy choices and adapt to a space if it has his own adaptability. Spaces also attribute their success to their relationship to the street. If the space has an appeal from outside it will pull people in. When questioned on whether it is necessary for commercial buildings to enclose themselves and have no interaction with the street. They are predominantly orientated towards the car. Public spaces on the other hand need to be the total opposite.

Changes in height work if the space can act as an amphitheater. People want to look and watch.

However fences and walls will enclosed a space which will mostly have a detrimental effect to the space. Direct sunlight is not a necessity but light is. Be it direct or reflected it needs to be there and a space will benefit if it is lit dynamically. Water features should be there to be used and enjoyed 211

not just a spectacle. They will enhance a space as do trees and planting. Planting in groups and groves works well both for the trees and the people who enjoy them.

Places within the public space where people can ďŹ nd food are in the most case a positive addition.

They found that restricted space will not interfere with people's enjoyment and they are more likely to interact and socialise.

The last point of interest is described as triangulation. Points of interest within the space can act as a central point that draws people in. Activity draws more and more people. Markets, stores and pop-ups have a positive effect. Spreading out spaces and dividing areas up will often produce a negative effect and cause a space to become neglected.

Public spaces in general will beneďŹ t from ample seating, places to eat, places to stop and talk, and points of interest. Interesting lighting, water, trees and planting break up a space and invigorate the space. The conclusion is that people are predictable and a Public Space that meets these requirements will be a successful, vibrant and enjoyable place to be.

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Limerick City Development Plan 2010-2016 Georgian Limerick and the Development of the City The development plan appears to be mainly concerned with the inclusion of arts and culture to any development within the city centre area in an attempt to increase the destiny of creative spaces/ events within the city. “It is the policy of Limerick City Council to require Arts and Culture Infrastructure to be integrated into large scale re/development of key sites in the City Centre area which include lands in the Georgian Quarter”34 The Georgian Quarter itself is a designated Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) and is identified as the “heart of Limerick City’s Georgian Heritage within the City Centre, Newtown Pery adjoining the green centre of the City – the People’s Park.”35

History “The streets of Newtown Pery represent a unique example of 18th and 19th century planning in Ireland. Its initial division of the areas into rectangular lots did not assume its final shape until the 1820s and 1830s, when the last streets, such as Hartstonge Street, Catherine Place and the Crescent, were built. Pery Square, which was never fully realised, was laid out in the 1830s, by which time the era of Georgian building which created the Newtown was coming to an end. The streets leading to The Crescent and Pery Square conform to eighteenth century town planning, defining the streetscape by their adherence to fixed proportions and ordered harmonious symmetry. They combine to form an architectural heritage of great urbanity and considerable beauty. The irregularity which emerged in relation to the treatment of heights, facades, type of buildings combined with the rigid street pattern gives Georgian Limerick a distinct sense of place.

Most of the original street furniture and external features of the buildings still exist in Newtown Pery, although the original character of the interior has all too often been compromised. A mews was at that time an integral part of the townhouse being used for stabling horses, storing carriages,

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located at the rear of the terrace in a laneway. Most of them still exist but they have often been converted into workshops or garages. The most distinguishing features of the mews building was the arched entrances and the hayloft above. An interesting feature of the Georgian buildings within this ACA is the ironwork, found on balconies (mainly on the first floor) and railings, which still survive in good condition. Excellent Victorian and Georgian style railings and gates may be seen on O'Connell Street, the Crescent, Mallow Street and Pery Square and examples of boot scrapers may be seen throughout the City Centre. However the main focus of attention in a terrace is the door, which is always set to one side of the house. The typical Georgian doorway has a semicircular, decorative fanlight over the entrance and Classical style wooden or stone columns framing the door.”36 The ACA guidelines for compliance of development within this area recognises the need to retain as much of the original features as possible as they lend themselves to the identification of the district and a “sense of place”. Where these features need to be replaced materials must be chosen in a manner sympathetic to its surroundings so as not to diminish this aesthetic.

The plan identifies several worrying issues with this area, described as follows: • “Dereliction, abandonment and lack of maintenance of Georgian Buildings due to vacancy.

Insensitive/Inappropriate redevelopment • Additions/extensions impacting the original form, fabric and appreciation of buildings or streetscape when viewed from a public place.

• Repair and refurbishment to the external fabric of buildings (including repainting, removal of original fascia, soffit, gutters, downpipes & bargeboards) affecting the character of the building/ area.

• Retrofitting to remove uPVC gutters and downpipes previously installed shall be required where planning applications are made to restore character to the building and area.

• Removal of original front walls and railings, often to achieve off street car-parking.

• Removal and replacement of original timber sliding sash windows shall be strongly discouraged and repair and restoration of original windows is preferred.

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• Replacement with uPVC/aluminium windows shall not be permitted, and retrofitting to remove uPVC/aluminium windows previously installed shall be required where planning applications are made to restore character to the building and area.

• Fenestration detailing and iron-mongery/fastenings has a large impact on retention of Architectural Heritage Values in ACA Areas.

• Installation of street network utilities and infrastructure incompatible with established character.

• Removal/destruction of mature and established trees and gardens.

• Inappropriate signage and advertising relating to commercial premises.”37

Council Initiatives “Expanding the Residential offer is the policy of Limerick City and County Council to develop a pilot project to demonstrate the potential of the City centre Georgian area to support modern family living in particular owner occupation.”38 This initiative was developed as a study by the council on 2 Georgian Houses on Mallow Street that are owned by the council and the results showed that a lack of economic value in renovating the premises for inhabitation. Ironically both those houses are currently been let by a company called Camelot Holdings at a low cost rent with the minimum of investment. The author questions the conclusions as the reality of the situation appears to contradict them.

“The City Council will consider a financial contribution in lieu of residential parking spaces and possibly waive a contribution for commercial purposes where an individual proposes to bring a Georgian building back into everyday use. Such an agreement shall be reached at the preplanning stage.”39 This is certainly promising from the perspective of developing residences in the Mews Lanes where the current proposal limits the amount of room devoted to parking.

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The Mews “In the case of mews dwellings in the suburbs the standard of 12-15m² per bed space may be relaxed provided the dwelling has a rear garden with a minimum length of 7.5 metres for its entire width. Within the city centre a minimum of 20m² will be required.” 40

“Mews Dwellings Limerick City Council will actively encourage comprehensive schemes which provide a unified approach to the development of residential mews lanes and where consensus between all property owners has been agreed in advance. This design framework is the preferred alternative to individual development proposals.”41

Where mews dwellings are proposed, the following standards will apply: • “Development will generally be confined to single family units of two storey height. In certain circumstances, three storey mews developments incorporating apartments will be acceptable.

• Mews buildings may be permitted in the form of terraces, but flat blocks are not generally considered suitable in mews laneway locations.

• New buildings should complement the character of both the mews lane and main building with regard to scale, massing, height, building depth, roof treatment and materials.

• The design of such proposals should represent an innovative architectural response to the site and should be informed by established building lines and plot width. Depending on the context of the location, mews buildings may be required to incorporate gable-ended pitched roofs.

• The amalgamation or subdivision of plots on mews lanes will generally not be encouraged. In exceptional circumstances, where the amalgamation of plots is acceptable, the established grain should be reflected in the development through creative design and detailing.

• Accommodation will only be allowed in the roof space of a two storey mews if the pitch and eaves height of the mews dwelling is in accordance with the established pattern on the laneway.

This provision shall not apply where three storey mews developments are proposed.

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• Dormer windows, front or rear, will not be permitted, and balconies will be considered on their merits.

• Existing stone/brick coach houses located on mews laneways are of national and international importance. Limerick City Council recognises the increasing rarity of these buildings and the need to retain and conserve all of the surviving examples, particularly in relation to their form, profile and building line as well as any original features remaining. Proposals to demolish such buildings on economic grounds will generally not be accepted.

• All mews lanes will be considered to be shared surfaces, and footpaths need not necessarily be provided.

• Mews lanes, which do not already have existing setbacks, may be redeveloped with mews dwellings directly on the existing road boundary, provided that an integrated garage space is provided in the mews dwelling. In these cases, a condition will be attached to any permission deexempting the conversion of the garage for use as part of the dwelling house.

• All parking provision in mews lanes will be in off street garages, forecourts or courtyards. At least one off street car space must be provided for each mews building, subject to conservation criteria. New mews development should not inhibit vehicular access to car parking space at the rear for the benefit of the main frontage premises, where this space exists at present. This provision will not apply where the objective to eliminate existing unauthorised and excessive off street car parking is being sought.

• Private open space shall be provided to the rear of the mews building and shall be landscaped so as to provide for a qualitative residential environment. The depth of this open space for the full width of the site will not generally be less than 7.5 metres and shall not be obstructed by off street parking. Where the provision of private open space at the rear of the mews development to the above standard is impractical, the Planning Authority may allow some reduction of the above standard of private open space subject to the provision of high quality landscaped space.

• If the main house is in multiple occupancy, the amount of private open space remaining after the subdivision of the garden for a mews development shall meet both the private open space requirements for multiple dwellings and for mews development.”42 217

There are several places where the legal compliance and regulatory constraints on the development within the Mews lanes are contradictory. In some ways this is acknowledged by the Council insofar as a guideline is stated and a caveat is also included. It is this authors conclusion that it is extremely difďŹ cult to establish a one size ďŹ ts all approach to developing the interior of the Georgian blocks and part of this is the lack of information available at Council Level. The authors study of the lanes was necessary to give an oversight of the condition of the lanes and the number of intact Mews Houses is quiet a low percentage. In some ways it would be a better approach to identify those Mews that require special attention rather than impose a set of development rules whose context lacks any substantial basis in reality. Most Mews houses have been replaced by shoddily built garages with ďŹ&#x201A;at roofs. The insistence of a Mews look is almost a pastiche.

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Limerick 2030 “Expanding the Residential Offer The most significant area of opportunity for encouraging more City Centre living and a diversification to include primarily owner occupation in the City Centre is in the Georgian Quarter, though the refurbishment of the Georgian housing stock. A pilot scheme is required to demonstrate the potential and prove the market. The Living Cities Initiative published by the Department of Finance in February 2013 is an important first step in incentivising the revitalisation of Georgian Limerick. The development of residential accommodation in the City Centre by the third level institutions for students, post graduates and academic staff can make a significant contribution to increased City Centre living.”43 There is very little reference to the Georgian Quarter in this document, which is peculiar given that its flagship project “the Opera Centre” is a Georgian Block. Without more information it is difficult to ascertain if this plan/strategy will be beneficial for Georgian Limerick or if it considers the run down nature of the city fabric a challenge.

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Limerick City and County Council (2010) ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/ limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdfp133 34

Limerick City and County Council (2010) ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/ limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdf p157 35

Limerick City and County Council (2010) ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/ limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdf p157 36

Limerick City and County Council (2010) ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/ limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdf p157 37

Limerick City and County Council (2010) ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/ limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdf p212 38

Limerick City and County Council (2010) ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/ limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdf p249 39

Limerick City and County Council (2010) ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/ limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdf p265 40

Limerick City and County Council (2010) ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/ limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdf p267 41

Limerick City and County Council (2010) ‘Limerick City Development Plan’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/ limerick_city_development_plan_2010-2016_as_varied_1-5_print_0.pdf p267 42

Limerick City and County Council (2013) ‘Limerick 2030, An Economic and Spatial Plan for Limerick’. Online. Available at: https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/ limerick_2030_executive_summary.pdf Limerick 2030p13 43

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