The ‘liveability’ of towns

Professor Kevin Leyden spoke at a conference organized by the Heritage Council, entitled Realising the Hidden Potential of Ireland’s Towns: Policies and Priorities for Their Future, that was held in Kilkenny at the start of the month.  The conference was particularly relevant to policy decision-makers working in community, regional and rural development, as well as to planners and architects, and focused on how the historic urban characters of many of Ireland’s main streets are losing vitality and value through under-use or over-development. The conference also considered how the social and economic factors which drive towns need to be better understood in order to manage the process of change and maximize a town’s value.  According to the conference organizers, the history of governance and planning in Ireland is one where thematic policy has been trumped by the electoral cycle, and in that context, towns have slowly become a ‘hidden-Ireland’ in policy terms.