Summary

Procedures and processes

The lack of simple procedures and processes were named as one of the main obstacles for creatives to utilise their talents and stay within the area. This leads to frustration, loss of energy and demotivation as well as constraining innovation. There are ways in which this could be addressed.

Grants/Supports

students and young creative people lack information about the supports available to them. Making the information easily and widely accessible should create part of a wider strategy.

Recreation

There is a need for creative activities and opportunities for recreation within DL town and county. Some could involve art and craft-making, and others could include sports. Open and empty spaces should be utilised. Sea location and proximity to the water are significant elements on which recreation could be based, as well as DL’s heritage. The bottom line is that there is a hunger and unsatisfied need for places to meet – outside pubs, which do not involve alcohol but evoke various creative aspects to bring its sociable aspect.

Learning could be combined with recreation, done innovatively, and all the sustainable practices could and should be embraced. Further research is required to identify and embrace DL as a cultural, creative, recreational destination for various genres – from students to families and kids. In this case, design thinking methodologies and workshops with the public could be beneficial in identifying strategic locations and choosing the right course of action.

Festival / Main event

Students’ presentations and thinking evolved around the festivals. In their imaginary DL, they envisioned it as a place where festivals are happening 24/7, on every corner. To bring it closer to a more plausible reality, in Dun Laoghaire over the number of years several festivals stopped and started.

However, looking at examples of creative cities around the world many of them share one common thing: they run a major transformative event in town, which helps to refine their cultural position on a national or international scale, and helps to support the local economy.

Further research is needed to analyse the failure of festivals within DL and identify what kind of event could bring this transformative aspect to reinvigorate the creative economy and position Dun Laoghaire as a global creative centre.

Heritage

Many conversations during the workshop evolved around DL’s heritage and ways to embrace it innovatively. Students give great examples of Band Stands, which could be used for concerts and festivals. Other heritage elements of DL could also be made more exciting and accessible via new technologies, such as A.R. or V.R.

Nightlife

Students would like to see more places open past 6 pm; they are not there, as they know everything is closed.

On the other hand, demand drives the economy, so businesses knowing that students are in town could see a more expansive offering outside of pubs. By embracing other aspects mentioned above, the night-time economy should and will improve in the knock-off effect.

Students and young creatives indicated their need for a more vibrant and safe night-time economy, which was listed as an aspiration but also as a fear – due to current antisocial behaviours.

Gentrification

The subject of gentrification came up as a topic a few times during the workshop. We didn’t dive deep into the source of the issue, but it needs further research and analysis.

Sustainability

Sustainable practices form one of the main pillars of the modern creative economy, and one cannot exist without another. To achieve long-term sustainability, it is necessary to strive for a green economy and come up with solutions to address limitations to resource footprints. This will require innovations across the board and creativity in all fields. Creativity and sustainability are closely linked.

The U.N.’s Agenda 2030, with its 17 SDGs sets out the economic, social and environmental dimensions of a sustainable world. This requires concerted efforts towards building an inclusive and resilient future for the planet. Innovation, the business of ideas, is increasingly seen as the key to future societal prosperity and business success. Any new technology or process that does not create a positive change in people’s lives does and should not qualify as innovation.

The creative economy can be environmentally sustainable; students identified their clear preferences for sustainability criteria, for example, in music festivals and other cultural activities. In the future, for example, the organisers will have to start applying various sustainability criteria during the creative activities/festivals to attract visitors and generate more income from such events to ensure environmental safety.

Diversity

“We used practical thinking, putting ourselves in a position where we could implement change in Dun Laoghaire, by walking around and envisioning possible changes around the town.”

“we empathised and tried to look at the problem from the perspective of the people who were leaving Dún Laoghaire”

“I will approach problem-solving with a more open mind to creative solutions down the line and will be more open to trying more things that may fail without fear of failure.”

“I found the mix of different course backgrounds and ways of thinking were very beneficial to our problemsolving. Using creative thinking to solve serious problems allowed for more open-minded solutions.”

ABOVE: Students’ feedback and learnings from the charette

“ It was nice to chat to council members who you felt like could make a difference, with collaborative thinking between both the decision-makers and the people who these changes would affect.”

I found the mix of different course backgrounds and ways of thinking were very beneficial to our problemsolving.

“The fact that we looked so far into the future made us see that no plan is truly short-term, it will eventually influence the far future.”

There is a need to bring younger demographics to the town’s decision-making. During the process, students noted a lack of age and gender diversity within DLR CoCo, suggesting bringing the young generation’s voices to the table.

During the research, we looked at several precedents; for example, helpful here could be creating a “ Creative City Department” led by artists and students, which would help to diversify the environment and allow the further open-up conversation about creativity on a different scale.

Learnings

As a process of the workshop, we learned that enhanced perception, embracing complexity and a new sense of agency could evoke activism and bring numerous ideas to the table.

In fact, in one of the sessions, the group suggested more workshops as an idea to develop a creative economy. This indicated individuals’ need for highly collaborative spaces and environments, which have the potential to open up possibilities and create connections, partnerships and positive working relationships.