Architecture Commons^™

The Resilience Of Proximity Tourism During The Pandemic: Local Walking Tours Of Budapest, János Klaniczay

International Journal of Tour Guiding Research

Global tourism was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, but an exception can be seen among walking tour companies providing tours for locals in Budapest, who saw a rise in demand for their tours during the summer and early autumn of 2020. During pre-pandemic times tourism levels broke records annually, and one of the main concerns was overtourism in certain cities, but due to COVID-19, international arrivals hit record-lows and millions of jobs became endangered. Meanwhile data show that local alternative walking tours in Budapest could operate sustainably during the pandemic at almost the same capacity as before, because local …

Dlr Covid-19 Mobility Review: Evaluation And Review Of The Phase 1 Covid-19 Mobility And Public Realm Works Undertaken By Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Sarah Rock Dr., Dave O'Connor, Lorraine D'Arcy Dr., Odran Reid

Reports

Evaluation and Review of the Phase 1 Covid-19 Mobility and Public Realm Works undertaken by Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council.

Interim findings, June 2021.

The Causes Of Surface Condensation And Mould, And The Responsibility Of Relevant Parties To Alleviate Them, Joseph Little

Reports

All over Ireland large numbers of people live in unsanitary conditions suffering poor indoor air quality, surface condensation and mould. Where the occupants are tenants the cause of the conditions and identification of the parties responsible can cause much stress. Condensation and mould growth on the internal surface of a room are caused by a combination of factors due to specific conditions. In severe cases, one of these factors may lead to surface condensation and/or mould growth, but in general, surface condensation and/or mould growth occurs when two or three of these occur together. Even though multiple causes and shared …

Unveiling Women’S Needs And Expectations As Users Of Bike Sharing Services: The H2020 Diamond Project, Andrea Gorrini, Rawad Choubassi, Federico Messa, Wafaa Saleh, Augustus Ababio-Donkor, Maria Chiara Leva, Lorraine D'Arcy, Francesco Fabbri, David Laniado, Pablo Aragon

Articles

Within the objectives of the H2020 DIAMOND project, the paper investigates women’s needs and expectations as users of the bike-sharing service managed by Syndicat Mixte Autolib et Velib Métropole in the territory of Paris Region-Petite Couronne (France). The paper presents a thematic literature review focused on gender inclusion in bike-sharing schemes. The proposed methodological approach is based on (i) Geographic Information Systems for the analysis of geolocated open datasets related to land, sociodemographic and mobility characteristics of the areas surrounding each docking stations. This was aimed at identifying a short list of suitable bike-sharing docking stations, which were further characterized …

Integrative Sonic Urbanism: Artist-Led Strategies For Urban Sound Design In The Contemporary City, Sven Anderson

Doctoral

This doctoral research advances the fields of urban sound design and acoustic planning, presenting new ways of exploring the interrelationship between individual and collective sonic experience, the dynamic potential of the urban sound environment and the complex evolution of the contemporary cityscape. It links urban sound art practices with larger urban design processes, revealing how sound contributes to the production of urban space. The research progresses by crafting a dynamic, integrative methodology that activates contrasting sonic perspectives to critically reassess the role of sound in the public realm. As it discloses this methodology, the research navigates the tension between new …

Relationship Between Participation And Social Inclusion, Louis Nwachi

Articles

Studies show that within most countries, there are generally many different socio-cultural, ethnic and religious groups and this diversity inevitably creates a level of inter-group tension, with income disparities, cultural differences, and intergroup segregation leading in turn to social exclusion. This paper sets out to develop a conceptual framework to examine the relationship between that participation and the social inclusion outcomes in the plan-making process. It addresses how social inclusion can relate to the plan-making process culturally, politically and institutionally, economically and socially with high level participation. In doing this, it adopts a case study approach using the Metropolitan Area …

A Naturalistic Inquiry Of Pilgrims’ Experience At A Religious Heritage Site: The Case Of A Shaktipitha In India, Harveen Bhandari, Amit Mittal

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religion in the Indian context is an inseparable element that dominates Indian lives, culture and psyche wherein significant number of people undertake pilgrimages every year. Pilgrims travel to different religious sites spread throughout the country and an intimate bonding exists between people and religious sites that invariably constitute their heritage. The worship of deities is a significant and popular ancient custom in the history of Indian culture. Pilgrims to any religious heritage site participate in different activities and their involvement in these activities builds their spiritual experience. So, the purpose of this research was to investigate the pilgrims experience at …

Facing The Sun, Frank Prendergast, Muiris O'Sullivan, Ken Williams, Gabriel Cooney

Articles

December 2017 marked 50 years since archaeologist Michael J. O’Kelly first observed the solar illumination of the burial chamber in the Neolithic passage tomb at Newgrange during the period of the winter solstice. O’Kelly subsequently recorded direct sunlight entering Newgrange through the ‘especially contrived slit which lies under the roof-box at the outer end of the passage roof’ on 21 December 1969. The discovery of this historic phenomenon, dating back over 5,000 years, captured the public interest and imagination at that time and ever since. In this major article published in the Winter 2017 edition of Archaeology Ireland (date of …

Santry River Greenway Feasibility Appraisal, David O'Connor, Matthias Borscheid, Odran Reid, Meadhbh Ní Lochlainn

Reports

The North East Dublin area has been identified for the development of a plan addressing health inequality and promoting a Healthy Community (WTO 2011) by the Northside Partnership (NSP), a local development company established in 1991 to address social exclusion, and the Dublin North Health Promotion Department. Poor health has been identified as an issue for people who live in areas affected by structural disadvantage and social exclusion in North East Dublin. A community survey in 2008 and a health needs assessment in 2003 both highlighted risk factors for high levels of chronic disease risks in the surveyed neighbourhoods and …

Spatial Translations And Embodied Bilingualism: Defining The Migrant's Experience From An Architectural Perspective, Caroline Rabourdin

CALL: Irish Journal for Culture, Arts, Literature and Language

As a bilingual writer and architect, my research is practice-based and multidisciplinary. In pulling together theories and practices about Space, Language and the Body, my aim is to develop a notion of Embodied Bilingualism. If the word ‘translate’ is to move something from one place to another, as architectural historian Robin Evans explains, then one needs to understand its pure and unconditional existence as a geometrical construct in the first place in order to fully appreciate the workings of linguistic translation. In this paper, language is considered as an embodied practice, which for the bilingual migrant leads to considerations about …

Small Housesholds Left Out In Cold By One-Size-Fits-All Policy, Lorcan Sirr

Media

In Ireland, homeowners can pay up to 31% of their after-tax income on their mortgage, and the situation is worse if you are a single-person mortgage holder. That’s according to figures released by AIB mortgage brand EBS and DKMEconomic Consultants last month.

You’Ll Like The Tenancies Bill And Poppintree Build, But Not A Lot, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Two things exercised my brain this week, both of which reminded me of a late, lamented magician. The first is the government’s Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016. This is the bill that will send planning applications for 100 or more residential homes directly to An Bord Pleanala. As I have said before, this will not be the panacea for a perceived problem, mostly because the problemdoes not exist. In 2015, 985 appeals in relation to residential developments were made to An Bord Pleanala, and about 75% of judgments confirmed the local authority’s decision. Indeed, 82% of …

We Should Heed Research Into What’S Happening In Rural Areas, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Ireland’s rural population has increased by just over 19%in the past 20 years, according to Teagasc, the state research body for the food and agriculture sector. A study, carried out by Dr David Meredith, senior researcher at Teagasc, looked at rural Ireland —its economy and where people are going to live. Media reports tend to focus on specific components of population decline, especially the headlinegrabbing “Can’t even field a GAA team” line, which focuses on young men. Populations comprise more than young men, however, and increases can be found in other age categories, such as the over-55s.

State Must Play To Crowd On Renting Or Face The Consequences, Lorcan Sirr

Media

In 1895, the French polymath Gustave Le Bon published his seminal work, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, on the behaviour and danger of crowds. For decades after, Le Bon’s theories influenced generations of politicians and their policies. Le Bon was influential at a time of rapid urbanisation, social upheaval and worker organisation. Social order was under threat and it was feared that “the masses” might break with patriarchy, social order and religion.

Help-To-Buy Scheme Is Detached From How We Really Live, Lorcan Sirr

Media

The government’s help-tobuy scheme, announced in the budget, was rightfully criticised by many people. Various ministers seemed a little surprised, if not a bit tetchy, that fewpeople had rowed in behind their latest genius wheeze. In research carried out by Davy stockbrokers and the property website myhome.ie, even firsttime buyers did not expect a helpto- buy scheme (people are not too easily schmoozed these days). Two other things flew under the radar when the proposal was announced. First, the silence from retail banks was deafening, which was strange given the allegedly positive response from the Central Bank. It nowlooks as …

Let’S Stop Calling This A Crisis And Start Building More Homes, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Over the past couple of years I have made a concerted effort not to use the phrase “housing crisis”, and I’ve been doing quite well, too. Recently, however, I have been using the dreaded phrase more often than I like. I don’t like the word “crisis” because it often gets abused, and although I’m talking about housing here, the same point can be applied to many economic and social problems and solutions.

No Landlord Exodus But Still The Same Old Eviction Problems, Lorcan Sirr

Media

There has been a lot of discussion this year about concerns that landlords are fleeing the rental market in the face of rent freezes and difficulties in making a profit — but are they? First, it is important to note that it is not the number of landlords in a market that is relevant, it’s the number of tenancies, which is a measure of the size of the sector. The sector has actually expanded in the past 12 months from about 319,000 tenancies at the end of last year to 324,000 in mid-2016. The number of landlords also increased in …

First-Time Buyers’ Grant Is For The Developers’ Back Pocket, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Over the last few weeks, political feelers have gone out to test the likely response to a grant for first-time buyers. Perhaps surprisingly for the government, the reaction has not been totally positive. The broad idea is that first-time buyers would get a lump sum payment, or other credit, of between €5,000 and €15,000 to help them to meet newmortgage lending thresholds, depending on the price of the house they are buying, perhaps up to €350,000.

To Solve Housing Crisis, We Must Get Over Our Problem With Cities, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Housing is a many-headed beast with elements of technology, planning, finance, sociology and of course, politics. At its core, however, it is a simple thing: buildings for people and this is why it’s crucial to keep an eye on our population statistics. Preliminary results fromthe recent census are throwing up some interesting figures, all of which have implications for where we should be focusing our efforts to build housing. The location of our empty houses should have told us by nowthat there’s little point in building homes where there’s no demand for them.

Eroding Planning Powers Leaves Us At The Mercy Of The Market, Lorcan Sirr

Media

There is little evidence to show that the planning system in Ireland hinders the delivery of housing, yet it is regularly blamed for preventing developers from building. Consistent with our political tradition of “anecdote as fact”, no credible evidence is ever presented to prove these allegations that the planning system—and indeed, planners themselves—are a blockage. The elephant in the room is, of course, owners sitting on land with planning permission who won’t build, or who won’t sell if they can’t afford to build. Critics of the planning system are fewin reality, yet they are vocal and influential. Diluting the system …

European Road Trip Reveals Housing Sectors United By Strife, Lorcan Sirr

Media

I recently undertook a 6,000km road trip that began in Glenties, in Co Donegal, and went as far as Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, before returning home via Trieste in Italy. During the trip the housing similarities and challenges that many European countries face became evident.

Stumbling Block Of Social Housing Stalls O’Devaney Gardens, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Last week, Dublin city council (DCC) resolved a dispute with its own councillors over the regeneration of O’Devaney Gardens, a council estate behind Arbour Hill in Dublin. Named after Bishop O’Devaney, who was hanged at Arbour Hill in 1612 as a friend of Tyrone rebel chief Hugh O’Neill, O’Devaney Gardens is a 1950s corporation-built estate of 300 flats in 12 (originally 13) blocks.

How Failings In Policy Making Give Us Plenty To Worry About, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Journalist Mick Clifford recently questioned the will and ability of any new government to solve the housing crisis. It’s a legitimate question as governments get caught between the needs of the electorate—more and cheaper housing—and those of the economy, and in particular the banks—higher house prices to pass European Central Bank stress tests.

Rental Sector Reform Must Look At The European Dimension, Lorcan Sirr

Media

One of the key points of interest for me in Rebuilding Ireland, the recently published Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, was how it proposed to deal with reform of security of tenure in the private rental sector. Under the plan, where a landlord proposes to sell 20 or more units within a single scheme, the tenants can remain in situ “other than in exceptional circumstances”. Hopefully, this will be amended in due course; the proposal affects few landlords, offers protection to only a small proportion of tenants, and is riddled with legal holes. I would argue that landlords with …

Beware Profit-Driven Lobbyists When It Comes To Housing Policy, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Lobbying involves trying to influence political decisions using various forms of advocacy that is targeted at policymakers, usually on behalf of amembers’ interest group, organisation or professional body. At its most benign, lobbying merely provides policymakers with information and legislative support; at its worst, it is selfserving and is self-promotion of often lucrative vested interests

We Must Count On Policy Change To Halt Obsolete Housing Rate, Lorcan Sirr

Media

The recent preliminary findings of this year’s census have thrown up some curious housing results. A little numbercrunching shows that we’ve not been adding as many houses each year as headline figures would suggest. Official completion numbers tell us that between 2011 and 2016, just 18,981 additional houses—or 0.94%—were added to the state’s overall housing stock, or an average of 3,796 a year. For comparison, at the 2006 census we had added 21%, and in 2011 it was 13%. We have effectively not increased our national housing stock in the past six years.

To Tackle The Housing Crisis, We Need To Talk About Ownership, Lorcan Sirr

Media

The rights and obligations that go with property ownership are important issues in any country trying to control its housing stock, resolve a housing crisis or create a functioning system. The concept of ownership is not clear cut: there is common ownership, as seen on the pampas and prairies, and in the outback; shared ownership, in India and China; temporal ownership, in medieval France and now Catalonia; and subservient ownership, where the Earth belongs only to its creator.

Generation Rent Needs Grown-Up Housing Guidelines Now, Lorcan Sirr

Media

The private rented sector in Ireland accommodates 705,000 people in 324,000 tenancies—in properties owned by 172,000 registered landlords. In the past 18 months alone there has been an increase of 12,000 registered landlords.

Coveney Must Grasp The Nettle Of A Flawed Housing Report, Lorcan Sirr

Media

On June 17, the Oireachtas committee on housing and homelessness published its report after convening in April. It interviewed 38 witnesses and received about 82 submissions from the public and various bodies. These reports do not write themselves, so the committee must be commended for its efforts. Indeed, as I suspect many of its members did not appreciate the infinite complexities of housing, apart from the normal personal experiences, what they have read and constituents’ queries. They did well to get their heads around some of the main issues involved. The final report has some good recommendations but it misses …

The State Needs To Supply Its Own Housing — To Save Money, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Much debate about housing has centred on proposed solutions such as the Central Bank’s lending limits and a reduction in VAT for developers. The Department of the Environment’s contribution managed to bypass the democratic process, ignore its own civil service rules, then introduce newmandatory smaller apartment sizes, which, it said, would bring down costs and stimulate development. Of course, such a crude move did no such thing—just as reducing VAT for developers and lifting bank lending ratios for lenders will not create an affordable housing system. These “solutions” are like Nero fiddling as Rome burned behind him.