Journal •
Open Table Conversations, 2023 – Reflections by Ruaidhrí Garvey
Ageing in the City
The first of the talks was on the topic of Ageing in the City, facilitated by qualified geriatrician Rose Anne Kenny. Rose spoke about her role as Principal Investigator of TILDA (The Irish LongituDinal study on Ageing) and how physical decline associated with ageing (reduced mobility, need to use the bathroom more frequently, hearing loss etc.) can make public spaces uninviting for older people. Participants in the group spoke about their own experiences of finding public spaces uninviting due to a lack of public seating, a lack of public restrooms and difficulty hearing conversations in spaces with poor acoustics. Group members spoke about how these difficulties could contribute to older people withdrawing socially, and the impact which the subsequent isolation could have on their physical health. The group then discussed their conceptions of an age-friendly city – with solutions such as padding underneath chairs in restaurants to reduce sound reverberation and increasing the length of time that pedestrian lights stay green for, to make these public spaces more inviting for older people.
Justice in the City
This conception of a city being a place where people live and socialise was expanded upon during the Tuesday Open Table on Justice in the City, facilitated by activist and academic Katherine O’ Donnell. Katherine spoke about Ireland’s history of excluding certain groups from society, including the stark statistic that in the 1950’s approximately 1% of Irish citizens were incarcerated in an institution (i.e., borstals, mother and baby homes, mental hospitals, etc.). The group discussed how society continues to exclude certain groups, and how cities were increasingly being seen as places where only those on high incomes can afford to live. Participants went on to describe Dublin City as a conduit for cars, designed around an expectation that people will come into the city for a short period to shop before leaving again. Particular emphasis was put on how alienating this was for residents with additional needs, such as those with mobility difficulties or sensory needs. The group then spoke about their conception of an inclusive city, which included sufficient seating, public restrooms and ample public spaces – all contributing towards making the city a space where all citizens could feel comfortable living and socialising in.
Climate Justice and Sustainability
Wednesday’s Open Table Talk, facilitated by Bohemians FC Head of Climate Justice and Sustainability Séan McCabe, discussed the importance of Climate Action. Séan spoke about the climate crisis confronting us with the reality of how interdependent we are on one another, and how all of us will be affected if we fail to adequately respond to climate change. Participants in the group discussed the difficulty in getting all citizens engaged in this collective response, with group members talking about how the transience caused by the housing crisis can make it difficult for inhabitants to build up the roots needed for a community response to the climate crisis. Group members also discussed how citizens can be alienated by environmental solutions that are beyond their capabilities (e.g., the high cost of retrofitting, high cost of an electric car). Séan linked this back to the need for a Just Transition whereby meaningful changes are made in a way that doesn’t put undue economic pressure on certain citizens.
Housing in the City
The Thursday Open Table Talk, facilitated by author and sociology professor David Madden, discussed the need for housing in the city. David reiterated the need for inhabitants to have a sense of belonging in their city, stating that housing is a prerequisite for involvement in all areas of life. A number of participants spoke about their personal experiences of how a lack of secure, adequate and affordable housing had affected their physical and mental health, as well as preventing them from engaging fully in their communities. The group discussed the need for more public housing to provide these secure, adequate and affordable tenancies to citizens. Eoin Ó Broin emphasised the need for a mobilisation demanding public housing, stating that all radical changes in Irish housing policy have come in the aftermath of public pressure, giving the example of the popular mobilisation which occurred after tenement collapses in 1963. David spoke about how this demand for more public housing is part of an international trend where public housing is becoming less stigmatised, giving the example of a number of US cities where public housing advocacy groups have grown in strength as an effect of the shift in public consciousness towards public housing.
A Playful City
The final Open Table Talk, facilitated by Co-Founder of “A Playful City” Aaron Copeland, discussed the importance of public spaces for children to play in the city. Aaron spoke about the developmental impacts that a lack of play spaces can have on children, while participants in the group reminisced about their favourite childhood games and shared how these games facilitated their own development. The group speculated that children no longer playing in public spaces was part of a greater trend of risk averseness, where residents have increasingly traded their freedom for personal safety, with participants giving the example of avoiding certain roads after dark dnd no longer allowing children to play on road due to the risk posed by cars. Discussing a solution to this, there was a broad consensus that future planning, especially in apartment complexes and public spaces, need to consider play and child-centredness within the design.
Contributor Ruairdhi Garvey, TCD
Photography by Ste Murray.
