5. Business, urban villages and the 15 minute city
5.1 Issues identified
Running a business in the city is not an easy thing, especially if you are a retailer. Covid has obviously made things very hard, especially for people trading in the city centre, but the difficulties and challenges are shared by everyone. One of the issues is commercial rates. Businesses are the only ones paying for water and local taxes in the city - this is not only unfair, but also detrimental to the finances of the city. It also puts physical stores at a disadvantage compared to online retailers, who do not have those extra costs. This is especially true now that Covid has changed people’s shopping habits.
Secondly, there is a huge problem with deliveries as a business. Even if there is a loading bay where your business is, it is very usual that private drivers would block it most of the time, meaning delivery drivers block cycle lanes or even footpaths. Since a large amount of deliveries are coming from only a few kilometers away, the traffic emanating from them is disproportional. We would suggest therefore that the Council extends the Sustainable Delivery System citywide.
Thirdly, the issues listed above (too much space given to the private car) also make trading in the city very difficult. Narrow footpaths means that most businesses cannot use the public space outside their premises, or even just enhance it to attract passerbys. Terraces are very unusual in Dublin, and they are very expensive to get.
Finally, our markets and casual traders are an essential part of the city’s retail and culture.There is a lack of public food markets in Dublin, despite that they add so much to the energy and the attraction of a city. The very slow redevelopment of the Iveagh market and the Mary st one also means we do not have indoors markets such as the one in Cork.
5.2 what we would like to see
Supporting small independent businesses is indispensable if we want the city, and especially the city centre, to thrive. Reforming the commercial rates system is very important if we want the finances of the city to get better without strangling small independent businesses. Also, new initiatives such as last-mile deliveries should be encouraged and financially supported. Thankfully, retail success is all about experience more than just the items shopped - people still want to physically go to shops to talk and try and get “the experience”. At the moment, Dublin is not inviting because of the poor state of the public realm (see College Green) and the sheer amount of cars. It is ironic that one of the reasons for the success of shopping centres is that people can leave their children roam free without fear, and yet, a city like Dublin only has two pedestrianised streets. By removing cars, we can create this space where people can linger, and eventually spend money. Dublin City Councils own studies show that people on foot, people who take buses and people who cycle spend way more than people who drive. They therefore need to be prioritised for the retailers to survive. Because of the continued high rates of teleworking, people are spending more time within their own or nearby neighbourhoods - Dublin city centre needs to be an attractive place for people to travel there. Cafes with terraces, activities for kids, cultural events etc, all need to happen in a pretty and safe space, i.e. car free and clean.
Retailers in “urban villages” outside the city centre would benefit from the same treatment. Again, because places are not easily accessible and that road design is prioritising through traffic instead of local people, footpaths are too narrow, traffic too heavy and the air quality in places like Phibsborough very poor. All this leads to struggling small businesses, as the area they trade in is not attractive. To get this “ historic village feel” back, we would also suggest to come up with strict guidelines concerning the shop fronts (that could work with incentives from the Council), so there is uniformity in signage and colours / patterns. It would make the place more attractive and would be respecting Phibsborough’s architectural heritage.
6. Phibsborough
Phibsborough is a large area located about 4km for the city centre. It is well served by public transport, has a rich history and a very diverse population. It is a very close knit community, who are proud of their area. Unfortunately, Phibsborough has been neglected for decades, making it look decrepit and uninviting. Phibsborough lacks at a local level, what the entire city lacks: that of a long term vision. Abandoned buildings, neglected public realm, lack of cultural places and inaccessibility are the common features between Phibsborough and so many areas of Dublin .
Sadly the defining feature of Phibsborough is the sheer volume of traffic it is subjected to which prevents the village from thriving. Despite low car ownership in our area, our neighbourhood has been forced to shoulder the external consequences of people driving from greener, quieter, cleaner suburbs through Phibsborough to the city centre. Many drivers passing through the area are choosing to do so to avoid the M50 toll charge. The road design outside our houses prevents us from socialising outdoors within our neighbourhood, from crossing the streets safely, and prevents our kids from cycling to school. Beyond The Junction has been very active lately when it comes to bus corridors and BusConnects for the area - the NTA will present further designs to us early March. Besides BusConnects, an overnight (but very unpopular) solution to this is a congestion charge inside the canals - this reduced the amount of traffic by 20% in just 24 hours in Stockholm when it was implemented and requires no additional infrastructure.
Furthermore, like any other inner city neighbourhood in Dublin, Phibsborough is suffering from littering and increased dumping. A lot of people live in apartments in the area, meaning they have to work with the bags system, these are put on footpaths and sometimes ripped open by foxes and seagulls. Rubbish collection needs to go back to the Council. On street parking places, that are not used very much by locals since 70% of them do not own a car, should be used for rubbish containers as well as bicycle sheds. The existing scheme for the latter is way too restrictive and does not serve a lot of the people in the area.
Phibsborough also needs to get its air quality measured and improved. There is no air quality station anywhere in the area, despite Doyles’ corner being one of the busiest junctions in the city.
It is an area that has green spaces, and the Phoenix Park is very close (see paragraph above), but again, accessibility is a big issue. Steps to get to the Blessington Basin, kissing gates to get to Mount Bernard park, same at each lock on the Canal - our green spaces are not easy to get to, and that discriminates greatly against people who have difficulties walking. There is also very little public seating, meaning that again, the elderly and people who need to rest at regular intervals cannot do so.
Phibsborough and the 15 minute city - Phibsborough is the perfect area to test the 15 minute city concept to our minds - it is compact, has a lot of amenities, and retailers here are mostly small and independent. Carrying out a walkability study would be welcome - it would help identifying and then improve access: widening footpaths to help struggling cafes, removing on street car parking, building cycle lanes, removing kissing gates etc. Because of its community, participation in imagining a 15 minute block would get a lot of traction and participation. Furthermore, the area is an official Sustainable Energy Community, in association with the SEAI. It is leading the move to a zero carbon society. We would welcome additional support from the Council on this, so that more SEC can be created in the various urban villages.
Conclusion
While we were writing this document, a pattern stood out - Dublin has forgotten about its people and their needs. It is urgent to put the focus back on Dubliners, wherever they are from. In the past 15 years, housing has prioritised foreign visitors over residents, transport has prioritised through traffic over the liveability of areas, and business strategies has prioritised foreign investment over local economy.
The 15 minute city is potentially the way to do it - ensuring that everyone has access to everything they need in their own neighbourhood is at the core of this concept. This means that services such as community-scale healthcare and education, essential retail such as groceries and pharmacies, as well as parks for recreation and more need to be decentralised and present in each neighbourhood. Neighbourhood retail will also help to reduce crowding in large and central shopping areas, encouraging people to stay physically distant in a world where pandemics will be more and more common.