Input to Dublin City Council Cultural Infrastructure Study for Dublin City

Apr 12, 2021

Context Notes: Dublin City Council is in the process of preparing the Dublin City Development Plan 2022 – 2028, which when adopted will guide growth and development in the city over the next decade. To ensure that culture is engrained in the future development within the City of Dublin, the City Council would like to dedicate a chapter of the Development Plan to the City’s cultural sector. This will help the City prepare for the cultural infrastructure and facilities it needs to ensure it retains its vitality and vibrancy.

Turley, alongside OBFA Architects, have been commissioned by Dublin City Council to prepare a Cultural Infrastructure Study for Dublin City. This will provide Dublin City Council with an understanding of the scope and quality of the City’s existing cultural infrastructure and facilities alongside an appreciation of the future needs of the City.

Questions

1 – How would you describe/what is your understanding of cultural infrastructure?

  • Awareness, comprehension, development of, and vision for, all aspects of the growth and protection of cultural facilities, acknowledging its dynamism, diversity and accessibility
  • Acknowledging and working with creatives and spaces. A balance in provision.
  • buildings, structures and places where culture is experienced and enjoyed, performed, exhibited, sold
  • buildings, structures and places where culture is produced — places of cultural production by artists, performers, makers, manufacturers, performing arts rehearsal spaces, music recording studios, film and television studios.

2 – What role does cultural infrastructure play in your City’s…

a. Night Time Economy (please enter your response here)

Cultural Infrastructure is critical to our overall economy

  • Critical to our overall economy, creating opportunities for pubs, shops, restaurants etc. to avail of a wide customer across a wider range of hours, catering to the changing dynamic of society and in recognition of the rise of an ‘on demand’ society which expects more flexibility across their social, leisure and enrichment opportunities. 
  • Infrastructure acknowledges, diversity, celebrates our cultural vibrance, and adequately represents society,
  • The night time economy revolves around cultural events from cinema, theatre and classical music concerts to gigs, DJ sets and street performance. The city would be dead at night without cultural infrastructure

b. City Centre Regeneration (please enter your response here)

There are multiple areas of this. Cultural Infrastructure can underpin and assist the dynamic reclassification of urban areas, asserting and reflecting their multi-dimensionality across a 24 hour period. 

This in turn creates or aids new identities for these areas, populates them, increases transit routes through them, utilising the infrastructure to its fullest, and potentially making these areas safer, cleaner while making the businesses in these spaces more sustainable. In short, it keeps people in/brings people to the city centre in the evenings

  • Reclassification of areas
  • Keeps people in/brings people to the city centre in the evenings

c. Community Infrastructure (please enter your response here)

Cultural Infrastructure is built on communities. Communities identify with physical, tangible space. Without it, identity is retarded. Therefore Culture and Community are interlinked. Cultural Infrastructure reinforces community, elevates shared identities and heritage and acknowledges current and future changes.

Cultural infrastructure also provides meaningful spaces for communities to come together both through their mainstream programming (places for people to meet: cinemas, gig bars etc.) and their specific outreach projects. In the city centre, there are precious few community spaces outside a religious context, and so the various cultural spaces and organisations which make community outreach a priority are filling a void. In many cases these efforts are focused on disadvantaged areas or communities, enhancing their social impact. Outreach projects by arts organisations usually do not cost money for members of the public to take part in and do not tend to revolve around being in a space that serves alcohol.

  • Cultural and Community are interlinked. Reinforce community, shared identity, heritage, acknowledgement
  • Cultural infrastructure provides meaningful spaces for communities to come together both through their mainstream programming (places for people to meet: cinemas, gig bars etc.) and their specific outreach projects. In the city centre, there are precious few community spaces outside a religious context, and so the various cultural spaces and organisations which make community outreach a priority are filling a void. In many cases these efforts are focused on disadvantaged areas or communities, enhancing their social impact. Outreach projects by arts organisations usually do not cost money for members of the public to take part in and do not tend to revolve around being in a space that serves alcohol.

3 – How important do you believe cultural infrastructure is to the development of your city?

Cultural infrastructure is fundamental to all development. It is critical to all facets of cultural expression, identity and space. Culture, in all forms, creates identity, underpins the economy, provides outlet and opportunity for artistic expression and audience participation. Critical to human identity and for touristic reasons.

Without sufficient cultural infrastructure, culture cannot sustain itself or thrive in a city. This has been seen, to detrimental effect, in Dublin over the past decade as ‘brain drain’ has led many talented arts practitioners to emigrate or switch to more easily sustainable careers. This is an avoidable waste of talent which essentially robs the country of the positive effects of culture. Culture can be an export. Export the art not the artists in this case. The only way to address and change this is by strategic and meaningful dialogue between those that represent art professionally and those that represent space professionally. Outwardly, cultural identity is our primary touristic selling point. Cultural Identity defines us abroad and encourages visits to our country/city to experience this culture. If the resultant experience does not match the expectation, specifically in line with other cities of the world, repeat business is unlikely.

  • Cultural infrastructure is fundamental to all development. Culture, in all forms, creates identity, underpins the economy, provides outlet and opportunity for artistic expression and audience participation. Critical to human identity and for touristic reasons.
  • Without sufficient cultural infrastructure, culture cannot thrive in a city. This has been seen, to detrimental effect, in Dublin over the past decade as brain drain has led many talented arts practitioners to emigrate or switch to more easily sustainable careers. This is an avoidable waste of talent and robs the country of the positive effects of culture. 

4 – Do you believe cultural infrastructure is important to the development of new places/the regeneration of City areas?

Cultural infrastructure (specifically buildings) can be key hubs to create a sense of community in a new area. The arts engage with the community, allow people to engage with other cultures, with an area’s history and heritage, improves the breadth of education in an area, and can create a sense of community pride. 

While pitches, playing fields, and green areas are seen as crucial to an area, the arts have as large a role to play in mental and physical health for the residents of an area. Imagine these as existing side by side. Now translate that, proportionately, to dedicated spaces for the experience, performance of cultural activity.

Regular cultural programmes attract visitors to an area and make small business more viable and sustainable. 

An arts/culture scene, along with related business in food, retail, hospitality can be an incentive for businesses to settle in a particular area, and create whole communities, rather than sleeper towns. This applies from small businesses up to multinationals.

Cultural Infrastucture can be a key element in helping to make existing residents of regenerated areas feel included in regeneration projects. Buy-in from existing residents is an essential part of keeping a cohesive community rather than simply displacing one.

  • Cultural infrastructure (specifically buildings) can be key hubs to create a sense of community in a new area. The arts engage with the community, allow people to engage with other cultures, with an area’s history and heritage, improves the breadth of education in an area, and can create a sense of community pride. 
  • While pitches, playing fields, and green areas are seen as crucial to an area, the arts have as large a role to play in mental and physical health for the residents of an area. 
  • Regular cultural programmes attract visitors to an area and make small business more viable. 
  • An arts/culture scene, along with related business in food, retail, hospitality can be an incentive for businesses to settle in a particular area, and create whole communities, rather than sleeper towns. This applies from small businesses up to multinationals.
  • Cultural Infrastucture can be a key element in helping to make existing residents of regenerated areas feel included in regeneration projects. Buy-in from existing residents is an essential part of keeping a cohesive community rather than simply displacing one.

5 – What policy measures would you put in place to better the provision of cultural infrastructure in the City?

  • Strategic re-development of unused buildings for culture/the arts 
  • Introduction of Dereliction Tax (financial penalties for buildings left unused in key areas). 
  • Provision of one major single-use hub for music in the city centre, as a priority due to lack of existing infrastructure for music
  • Simplification of “Meanwhile Use” (short-term, inexpensive lets for artists and arts organisations in properties which are unavoidably empty); incentivisation of same to make it an attractive use case for landlords
  • Legislate for inclusion of cultural infrastructure (notably performance and rehearsal spaces, artist studios and other non-commerically viable infrastructure) in all major developments, matched with a commitment to keep these things (a) affordable and (b) publically controlled
  • Panel of artists (particularly including artists in under-represented genres, artists from under-represented cultural/socio-economic backgrounds, and artists with disabilities) to work in liaison with arts offices and city development departments, consulting on the needs of the arts sector.
  • Simplify and standardise procedures and application process for performing or creating art in public spaces: currently, this is an onerous administrative task which is off-putting to individual artists and performers. 

6 – How do you see public art in new development? What value does it add?

  • Accessibility of art and regular access to participation in arts events across socio-economic backgrounds is valuable, where many arts experiences in Ireland are private and income-dependent.
  • When art is ever-present in the community, it becomes a normal and natural part of public life: see the centrality of classical music to Viennese life as an example. This can be fostered in new developments.
  • Arts events can create strong sense of community, and be an opportunity for people to engage with other cultures, and backgrounds.
  • Creativity is undervalued in the Irish school system, but can be nurtured by public art and arts participation. It is crucial to development for children and adults. 
  • Public arts events attract local, national, and international tourism and create spend in an area.
  • Public art in new development has traditionally meant one-off sculptures: while this is obviously of value, we believe it is important to recognise the ongoing value of creating cultural infrastructure in new developments.

7 – Do you feel public spaces, parks, and street art etc. form part of cultural infrastructure?

  • They CAN, but do not always. Some parks and public spaces actively work with arts/arts offices, i.e. hosting and funding workshops, exhibitions, concert series, whereas some refuse to allow public art or make it prohibitively expensive for individual artists/small organisations. 
  • Public spaces, parks etc have a wide remit. They are part of a holistic whole which encompasses quality of life and are inter generational. Successful public spaces must acknowledge all aspects of holism and provision for its regular expression. All public spaces have a profound ability to reflect cultural identity, values and expression.

8 – Is there sufficient cultural infrastructure in the City? What is missing and why?

Absolutely not. When compared and contrasted with our European colleagues, we are ‘infra structurally challenged’. Let me be clear. We have hundreds of bars and pubs. These are not suitable for the consumption and presentation of many types of music. These need to be removed from the any cultural ‘pie charts’. They do not reflect the needs of our industry. They are unsuitable.  

Practice/rehearsals paces for independent musicians. Many European cities have dedicated buildings where studios can be rented at moderate cost for development of work, while many Irish musicians totally lack anywhere to practice/rehearse if landlords (as is often the case) do not allow music.

Non-commercial venue for the development of contemporary, improvised, experimental music. Unlike visual arts/dance, or theatre, music lacks any central space which is accessible to independent musicians as a venue, hub etc. This lack of identity, critical for practitioners and audiences alike retards development of the artform, particularly when contrasted with other European cities. We have no modern 21st century identity in the form of tangible space for todays non commercial music. Music that is not suitable for our myriad pubs and bars or not suitable for larger spaces like our National Concert Hall; itself an institution burdened somewhat by time and tradition. There is no other beacon of cultural infrastructure which defines this large market. Call it homelessness because that is precisely what it is. 

The National Concert Hall explicitly made a decision to make the Kevin Barry Room (formerly accessible on a ticket cut basis to any musician who wanted to hire it) a curated space – this cut off access to the NCH for all artists who are not considered a good fit by management. There is no equivalent infrastructure in the first place for genres such as jazz, contemporary improvised music electronic music, etc.

As cultural curators, programmers and producers, it is difficult to ask audiences to attend multiple unsuitable locations with strict curfews, criminally high rental costs and other factors which makes these ongoing compromises difficult for both artists and audiences. We have been having the same conversation for over 30 years. To be honest, I have replied to surveys, such as this one for 21 years this year. And over that 2 decades not one meaningful thing has changed with regards to cultural infrastructure in our capital city.  Words on a page, are simply that; words. However, I hope that this survey finds a resonance with future planning and development of cultural infrastructure in Dublin. As a programmer I have traveled extensively throughout Europe. I’ve been to practically every EU country, some multiple times. On a prosaic level, I know firsthand, how behind we are in joined-up strategic thinking, development, and implementation of specific, dedicated infrastructure. We just do not have it. They do. 

  • Absolutely not.
  • Practice/rehearsals paces for independent musicians. Many European cities have dedicated buildings where studios can be rented at moderate cost for development of work, while many Irish musicians totally lack anywhere to practice/rehearse if landlords (as is often the case) do not allow music.
  • Non-commercial venue for the development of contemporary, improvised, experimental music. Unlike visual arts/dance, or theatre, music lacks any central space which is accessible to independent musicians as a venue, hub etc. This lack of identity, critical for practitioners and audiences alike retards development of the artform, particularly when contrasted with other European cities (for example)
  • The National Concert Hall explicitly made a decision to make the Kevin Barry Room (formerly accessible on a ticket cut basis to any musician who wanted to hire it) a curated space – this cut off access to the NCH for all artists who are not considered a good fit by management. There is no equivalent infrastructure in the first place for genres such as jazz, electronic music, etc.

9 – How does your city’s local urban planning or masterplans explicitly recognise the importance of cultural issues and resources?

  • I don’t know how to answer this question. I do not have enough information.

10 – How does your city’s local urban planning or master plans explicitly recognise the importance of cultural issues and resources?

11 – Does the city have a reference guide on “cultural impact assessments” for everyday use in urban planning policies? If not what impacts would you include for reference?

  • I don’t know how to answer the first part of this question. I do not have enough information.
  • Cultural Impact Assessments should include: …

12 – Does the local government keep an inventory of the city or region’s natural and cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible? How effective is it?

13 – Has the city subsequently established mechanisms for its preservation and conservation according to international standards?

Benchmarking (1-5 Agree/Disagree , each with space for comments)

The fourth and final part of this survey asks you to rate each statement using the Likert Scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. There is also space after each question for further comments. Once completed please click the ‘Finish Survey’ button at the bottom of the page.

14 – New cultural infrastructures are planned as part of a broader cultural ecosystem, and their potential impact is taken into account.

Yes, to a degree. However there are imbalances

15 – The local government explicitly considers the notion of ‘landscape’ in its policies, integrating both natural and cultural aspects of development.

INSERTTEXTHERE-COMMENTS

Yes, with no comments

16 – The local government recognizes public spaces like streets, squares, and other areas in the city, as key resources for cultural interaction and participation.

Neutral, Much publicity is done around this, but use of them by artists, public etc. is not incentivised or made easy (see issues around public space performance)

17 – There is a range of public spaces which, thanks to their symbolism, are considered public goods.

Agree, no comments.

18 – There are programs to promote and manage the development and preservation of public art.

INSERTTEXTHERE-COMMENTS

I don’t know.

19 – There are architectural guidelines for the renovation of existing buildings, the planning of new buildings, and the use of traditional construction techniques.

https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/planning 

20 – Policies for urban transport and mobility consider citizens’ access to cultural life, paying special attention to people residing in the city outskirts, people with infants or children, and those with other particular obstacles to accessing culture.

Strongly disagree

It’s important here to understand how cities develop over time. How old a city is. What types of generational displacements there are over time etc. We have an old historic city. However, provisions have not been put in place for the migration of communities out from its centre. Public transport is often inhospitable to those with particular access needs, small children. It is irregular to some areas of the city and greater area, particularly later in the evening. City centre parking is both too limited and too expensive to compensate for this. 

Public transport infrastructure is not well-developed enough to make attendance of evening events in the city centre feasible or attractive for many suburban residents. See point above about displacements and 21st century suburban living.

Most public transport ends much earlier than late-night culture events, and is generally more limited at the weekend even earlier on the evening. This does not compare well with other important cities. Late-night Luases are provided to shoppers at Christmas, but not to clubbers or cinema-goers throughout the year. 

  • Public transport is often inhospitable to those with particular access needs, small children etc., irregular to some areas of the city and greater area, particularly later in the evening. Parking is too limited and expensive to compensate. 
  • Public transport infrastructure is not well-developed enough to make attendance of evening events in the city centre feasible or attractive for many residents of the suburbs
  • Most public transport ends much earlier than late-night culture events, and is generally more limited at the weekend even earlier on the evening. This does not compare well with other important cities. Late-night Luases are provided to shoppers at Christmas, but not to clubbers or cinema-goers throughout the year.

21 – The local government develops policies and programs that promote people’s active participation in urban planning and regional development, such as in urban design, architecture, and public art.

Yes, no comments.

22 – The local government develops policies and programs that promote  people’s active participation in urban planning and regional  development, such as in urban design, architecture, and public art.

Yes, no comments.

 Image courtesy of Crash Ensemble

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