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CityLabs Cork Knowledge Co-Creation for Cork City’s Local Economic and Community Plan
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Contents
Part 1 - Background and Introduction ................................................................................................... 3 About CityLabs ................................................................................................................................ 3 CityLabs and the LECP ..................................................................................................................... 3 CityLabs LECP Approach.......................................................................................................................... 4 Co-Designing Engagement Process ................................................................................................. 4 CityLabs LECP Futures Thinking Workshops ................................................................................... 5 ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 Engaging diverse experience and expertise.................................................................................... 7 Co-learning and co-producing City knowledge for City futures...................................................... 9 Part 2 – Community Engagement Content Analysis ........................................................................... 11 2.1 Best Thing About Cork...................................................................................................... 12 2.2 Hopes and Concerns ......................................................................................................... 13 2.3 Preferred Futures - Ambitions .......................................................................................... 17 2.4 Foresights and insights – Challenges and Opportunities for Tackling Issues.................... 18 2.5 Assets, drivers, gaps, and new thinking needed to realise preferred futures ..................19 Part 3 – Staff Consultation .................................................................................................................. 21 3.1 Drivers of Change ........................................................................................................................ 22 3.2 Mapping Existing Assets............................................................................................................. 25 Snapshot of Some Specific Ideas + Insights (Assets, Gaps, Opportunity Identified) aligned to Draft Pillars .................................................................................................................................................... 28 Appendices............................................................................................................................................ 29 Appendix A – UCC Knowledge Gatherers ..................................................................................... 29
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Part 1 - Background and Introduction
About CityLabs
In partnership with Cork City Council, University College Cork (UCC) are a founding member of the UNIC European University of Post-Industrial Cities in Transition – an alliance of ten European University and City partners who, through a new Centre for City Futures, are pioneering innovative and transformative ways of working with and between their cities to tackle urban challenges and develop shared, sustainable futures. A key mechanism to enable this is CityLabs – UNIC’s transnational urban living lab . Through CityLabs activities city, community and public stakeholders work together to identify issues and challenges, explore opportunities, re-imagine our cities and co-create transformative action. CityLabs work with partners co-design informed and robust engagement processes that empower all stakeholders in our cities to be active participants in planning for our cities futures. CityLabs bring co‐creation and engagement expertise, platforms and modalities for connecting academia, municipalities, enterprise, citizens, civil society and communities as collective change agents who all play a role in the transformation of our urban regions for more sustainable and inclusive futures. This work supports best practice engagement and participation practices, evidence informed public policy and engaged research for societal impact and more resilient cities. UNIC CityLabs in Cork is led by Dr Martin Galvin, Head of Civic and Community Engagement and Ciara O’Halloran, Programme Officer, under the Office of Vice President for Research and Innovation at UCC. CityLabs and the LECP It is in this wider context that the Cork City Council Local and Economic Plan coordinating team invited CityLabs to contribute to informing the design of the LECP consultation process and to partner on the delivery of some elements – namely two Community Consultation CityLabs Workshops and an internal Cork City Council CityLab Workshop. This report is a high level summary report of these LECP CityLabs activities. It includes an overview of the evidence-informed approach, activities and summary content analysis of the workshops held – reflecting stakeholder perspectives on issues and insights for the future of Cork City. Through the longer-term partnership arrangement with Cork City Council, CityLabs support evidence-informed and integrated, systemic approaches to city engagement for positive urban transformation and impact on an ongoing basis. The detailed data collected through the co-creation workshops provides a rich knowledge repository for the ongoing work of the development and implementation of Cork’s LECP. Within this capacity, the LECP is recognised as a key action-focussed policy vehicle for inter-agency collaboration and co-operation for sustainable planning and development in the City . Through CityLabs UCC and Cork City Council will support ongoing City-engaged learning and research to deepen the potential for evidence-informed co-creation practices to inform ongoing participation of stakeholders with the social and economic development of the City with the LECP as the core policy context and framework.
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CityLabs LECP Approach
Co-Designing Engagement Process
The CityLabs team contributed to a series of co-design meetings with the LECP coordinating team over a series of six months . The co-design process took account of the report of Final Review of Cork City LECP 2016-2021 and the LECP 2023-2029 Background Document. Over this period significant attention was given to devising and co-designing an approach to engaging publics, communities, and city stakeholders for wide and inclusive approach to the consultation period. An extensive stakeholder mapping process was undertaken and in-depth consideration given to issues such as consultation fatigue, avoiding duplication with/aligning with other consultations in process - including significantly on the Climate Action Plan - as well as reaching seldom heard voices. Co-design and consultation planning also paid particular attention to developing a structured approach whilst ensuring multiple modalities for engagement , considered inclusion and accessibility and seeking to maximise the opportunity for engagement inputs to represent the full diversity of Cork’s peoples. Written submissions would ensure a transparent and open process for submissions. For particularly identified cohorts e.g. seldom heard voices or where significant barriers to participation are known, bespoke focus group sessions would be planned in ways that reduced barriers. To ‘meet people where they are’ the engagement process would also be devised to harness the value of the existing community-facing networks, inviting locally hosted sessions that would encourage dialogue within communities and mobilise local community-led submissions. A common ‘template’ for the wide range of local engagements was conceived to support a common structured approach. This was primarily supported by the development of a visual and narrative metaphor that employed and applied the power of storytelling for engagement, and storytelling as a tool for participation. This modality supported stakeholders participation, enabling people to share and discuss their stories of Cork, towards the development of the LECP as a ‘shared story’ and building a sense of common ambition for the future. The visual and narrative metaphor employed was the city as a forest – inviting people to engage with considering existing assets and strength to be protected, identify gaps or new seeds to be sown and new shoots to be nurtured.
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CityLabs LECP Futures Thinking Workshops
Complementing the wider consultation process, the delivery of CityLabs workshops were planned to pilot and demonstrate co-creation approaches that can support of enhanced citizen participation 1 , collaboration, and partnership approaches in the LECP. Aligned with the wider framework and approach to consultation developed and giving consideration to a range of potential co-creation techniques, it was agreed that the workshops would be oriented to a ‘Futures Thinking’ approach. Futures Thinking is a recognised range of tools and techniques that among other things, can support policy-making. They are especially useful and applicable to work that seeks to embed long-term strategic thinking, to deepen understanding of driving forces, to identify gaps or suggest new knowledge needed. Participatory and anticipatory futures approaches allow for ‘collectively imagining, exploring and designing the landscape of possible futures. These approaches can provide a mechanism to incorporate long-term thinking within democratic systems and improve institutional effectiveness, by empowering citizens to shape their collective futures’ 2 . Futures Thinking recognises uncertainty and begins with an assumption that the future is not pre- determined, that there are possible futures, preferable futures and plausible futures . It is inherently collaborative - inviting processes, debate and dialogue for more informed and resilient planning, policy and decision-making. The futures-thinking workshop contributes to deepening ‘Futures Literacy’ in the city for more anticipatory policy and resilient cities. ‘UNESCO has championed Futures Literacy since 2012: the competency that allows people to better understand the role of the future in what they see and do. In our complex world, the global challenges we face require more inclusive and agile approaches to policy design and decision-making. Rooted in the discipline of anticipation, Futures Literacy can improve our capacity to shape policies and systems that withstand shocks and create long-term resilience.’ 3
1 Arnstein’s Ladder – Degree of Citizen Participation 2 Foundation for Democracy & Sustainable Development https://www.fdsd.org/ideas/participatory-futures/ 3 UNESCO Futures Literacy https://www.unesco.org/en/futures-literacy
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Through CityLabs LECP workshops contributors and participants engaged in co-creation exercises around: • Collectively imagining possibilities for the City’s future • Discussing foresights and insights: opportunities and challenges to realising possible or preferred futures • Identifying current assets, drivers, gaps and new thinking needed to inform future planning Three workshops - The CityLabs team led on delivering two LECP Community Engagement workshops that aimed to bring together representative voices from the City to help shape and inform the development of Cork City’s new Local Economic and Community Plan. A subsequent third workshop provided opportunity for the internal City Council Staff to bring their personal and professional expertise, know-how and insights to the dialogue. The approach engaged people in considering Cork at City scale, cross-cutting on all themes, whilst the storytelling approach ensured stakeholders could connect from their personal knowledge and expertise. During workshops, stakeholders participated together in facilitated groups to imagine the future, consider where we are now and focus on what’s needed to respond to the dynamics of change. Insights and the potential types of responses and interventions arising has been subsequently mapped against the LECP themes. Embedded activities also supported an asset-based approach to capturing a description of the ‘current state’ and effectively collectively mapping existing assets and resources in the City. Provides Table discussions were supported by resources and materials on the table including a map of the city, the LECP Draft High Level goals, the SWOT already conducted and a selection of news headlines to prompt and support futures oriented thinking.
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Engaging diverse experience and expertise
Overall, three CityLabs LECP workshops enabled a ‘big think’ representing over 900 hours of diverse expertise and experience from over 225 people collectively working on shaping Cork’s future . Two external CityLabs LECP Community Engagement workshops were held on 13 th and 18 th April 2023, using the same format, allowing space for a total of 160 participants, with over 110 of these being external to UCC and City Council. A further 80 City Council staff engaged in the internal City Council workshop held on 21 st June 2023, which employed the same format. All events were fully subscribed, with some small reduction in numbers on the day. CityLabs are rooted in theory and practice for urban living labs. Its activities engage and recognise the value of the knowledge and expertise of all part of society – academia, public sector, industry, community and civil society including citizens. This is referred to as the Quadruple Helix. Within this it recognises the importance of ‘lived experience’ and the importance of different types of knowledge. The CityLabs LECP Community Engagement workshops were therefore designed to engage a purposive sample of Cork peoples, representative of the diversity in the City and the Quadruple Helix sectors. The events were promoted and available for public registration with dedicated spaces held for the general public to register, whilst a number of arts and culture, business and community organisations were also invited via more targeted approach. Workshop participant lists are included at Appendix A
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During the external workshops ten participants were invited to present ‘foresight’ provocations as expert contributions and perspectives from social inclusion, culture, environment, migrant- inclusion, business and enterprise and environment and climate. Contributors were as follows: Fiona Hurley CEO, NASC Gina Johnson Community Climate Officer, Cork City Council. JJ O'Conner Director, Northside for Business
Public Affairs & Communications Executive, Cork Chamber of Commerce
Fiona O'Donovan Valerie Byrne Mark Wright Mary McCarthy
Director, National Sculpture Factory
Cork Recovery Academy
Director, Crawford Art Gallery
Paul Bolger
Director, Environmental Research Institute Project Coordinator, Cork Migrant Centre
Fionnuala O'Connell
Public Affairs & Sustainability Executive, Cork Chamber of Commerce
Ashley Amato
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The CityLabs lead team were also supported in delivery of activities by twenty-two UCC staff and students with co-creation expertise participating as knowledge gatherers to support facilitated discussions. These individuals were chosen as thought leaders in their respective fields who are also skilled in engagement for co-learning and co-producing knowledge with communities. They supported the facilitation of dialogue within the workshops, ensuring the contributions were inclusive, captured and recorded and provided additional insights and reflections informing this report. As skilled researchers, listeners and co-learning facilitators, they created space for dialogue focussed on supporting the emergence of insights from across the wide expertise in the room – with emphasis given to the voices of community and city stakeholders. University co-creation facilitators are acknowledged in Appendix B. Cork City Council senior staff also participated in the external CityLabs LECP Community Engagement workshops in a supporting host capacity. Their expertise and knowledge from their respective services and directorates supported constructive dialogue and thinking, contributing relevant insights and guidance for productive conversations. Similar to academic facilitators, emphasis was given to participating in a listening mode, giving maximum room to voices of community and city stakeholders. The City Manager attended both sessions in full, providing opening words, welcome and context for discussions – demonstrating the leadership commitment to the process and the subsequent City Council staff workshop provided space for the Council’s internal expertise to contribute to the futures thinking. City Council discussion hosts are acknowledged Appendix C. Event registration was managed by Cork City Council in keeping with GDPR standards and practice for managing participant personal details associated with registration. Names only are included in the enclosed appendices. Co-learning and co-producing City knowledge for City futures The thought processes, discussion and engagement experiences in futures thinking approaches are recognised as being as important as the outputs of these processes; as stakeholders hear and learn from each other and collectively progress ideas, thinking and networks that support collaboration, co-operation and new localised actions to emerge. This is supported through deliberate workshop planning for table seating arrangements to ensure a diverse mix of perspectives and sectors at each table during deliberations.
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A number of participants commented on the value of the networking effect arising from the CityLabs events, anecdotally indicating they were positively affected and motivated from the exchange of thoughts and ideas and making new connections.
A significant repository of detailed data was collated reflecting the valuable inputs, knowledge, perspectives and ideas of the participants. This valuable repository of city-knowledge is a key asset for the long term implementation of the LECP. The complete output data from the activities include: • Over 200 records of hopes, concerns and best thing about Cork • Over 200 headlines from the future – imagining future success stories for Cork • Over 500 thoughts and comments captured on post-its as individual thinking during the discussions • 15 Table Discussion Worksheets capturing Foresights and Insights dialogue • 15 Table Discussion Worksheets capturing Assets, Gaps and new ideas • 8 Table Discussion Worksheets capturing internal thinking about drivers for futures planning • 8 Table Discussion Worksheets capturing internal thinking about existing assets • Over 200 Final reflections on LECP Pillars • Audio files of 10 expert contributor ‘foresights’ talks as provocations for critical perspectives • 3 Large Graphic Harvesting artefacts produced live at the events by Graphic Recorder Hazel Hurley and made available for exhibition • Photography and a short ‘sizzle-reel’ video capturing an overview of the engagement and suitable for sharing and disseminating across multiple channels by Alana Daly Mulligan and Max Bell.
This report provides a summary content analysis as a high level overview reflecting some of the most immediately pertinent and significant emerging insights.
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Part 2 – Community Engagement Content Analysis
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2.1 Best Thing About Cork
Description of Activity: Collected through a rapid ‘interview your neighbour’ as introductory activity to the workshop. This short activity focussed on personal experience of and relationship to the city and encouraged participants to connect with each other. From responses to the interview question on their opinion of ‘the best thing about Cork’ we can glean some key sense making insights for the City’s future. These draw on how people experience the city indicating what they value in those experiences. High Level Summary Content Analysis: Participants most frequently cited aspects specifically related to city scale, people and culture. Experiences on positive aspects of the city scale reference its compactness, ease of getting around as well as social connectivity. Where ‘people’ were cited as the best thing about Cork, this was often linked with other terms including culture and community. This social and cultural strength is further amplified by other participants identifying associated terms and characteristics including high frequency of the words ‘friendliness’ and ‘diversity’ as well as words relating to networks and connectivity. Broader but similarly relevant sentiments were also expressed through use of ‘a sense of’ place phrases, indicative of an experience of the social fabric, cultural-relatedness and inter-personal relationships in the City. These included phrases such as: a sense of belonging, a sense of pride, a sense of humour and a sense of identity. The City’s positive atmosphere and energy, its history and its established communities feature also, and particular cohorts are referenced including family, older people and students being mentioned. A particular participant references for example her family as now fourth generation living in Cork. This suggests that nurturing an intergenerational city is important as it contributes to an experience of social cohesion and continuity within communities. Other frequent occurrences relate to the City’s natural landscape, environment and geography. There is an evident sense of appreciation and connectedness with the river, waterfront, and wider natural beauty of the rural and coastal communities. This City-regional relationship is explicitly acknowledged in comments citing the quality of urban and rural life and access to benefits of city INSIGHTS: Sense of Place, Belonging and Identity • Sustaining a positive ‘sense of ’relating to the city and each other will be important as the city transitions in scale. • Nurturing an intergenerational city is important as it contributes to an experience of social cohesion and continuity within communities. • An appreciation for the natural environment and Cork’s City-regional relationship is valued both in terms of the city as an economic hub for the accessibility to urban, rural and coastal benefits.
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and country. This expresses and recognises the value and role of Cork as an economic hub. Other best things cited include creativity, food and volunteering. Horizon Scan: Future predictions for Cork set it as a City poised for significant population growth. Future development policy recognises the potential for the 15 minute city - a concept which sees local amenities and daily necessities and services as being accessible within 15minutes from home. It has been recognised that Cork’s scale lends itself to making a 15minute city a plausible future. The sense of the City’s scale was central to peoples positive experience of City and its characteristics.
“Mix of country and city life”
“Goldilocks city”
“Feels like a close- knit community while also being a large economic hub”
“The people, the culture”
2.2 Hopes and Concerns
INSIGHTS: Key Issues
At a high level, the key issues emerging relate to climate and environment, housing and homelessness and a concern around inequality and inclusion in the context of ongoing disadvantage and a rising far right rhetoric and the needs of our diverse communities. Issues also raised across health, wellbeing, safety, transport and mobility. Hopes and concerns with a focus on the City Centre come through strongly and there is also a significant number of hopes and concerns that focus on how we work together towards the future. The issues emerging here are consistent throughout the discussions. • Green City: Climate and Environment – Need for greater preparedness and capacity to change • Housing, homelessness and dereliction – A home for all • Diversity, Inequality, Inclusion and Wellbeing – Responsive to population needs to be
safe, healthy and well with equity of access and opportunity • Getting Around – Walk, cycle, light rail and public transport • City Centre - A vibrant space for community and business • Participation - Change how we work together towards the future
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Description of Activity: Collected through a rapid ‘interview your neighbour’ as introductory activity to the workshop. From responses to the interview questions around one ‘hope for the future’ and one ‘concern for the future’ we can glean some key sense making insights on core issues that matter to participants for person-centred thinking about the City’s future. The responses gathered here reflects participants hopes and concerns before hearing provocations from speakers. The issues that come through here were alternatively expressed as either a concern identifying the topic as an issue, or an aspirational hope that the issue would be addressed in the future. Responses reflect consideration of both high level issues for the city and more local or specific concerns. Some comments reflect some thinking and ideas for action. As a rapid exercise, responses were brief, captured in most cases as just a few words. Deeper dialogue around the issues emerge in subsequent discussions, focussing on the challenges and opportunities ahead.
High Level Summary Content Analysis: Green City: Climate and Environment – Need for greater preparedness and capacity to change People expressed climate concerns, specifically using the word ‘climate’ for example, one response noting “the whole thing”. Other responses relate to specific aspects of environmental concern including biodiversity and green spaces. Multiple responses, whether expressed as a concern or hope, indicate a sense of need for speed of change, agile responses, greater preparedness or capacity for change required. Towards spaces for action include responses reference law, keeping natural and increasing green spaces, education and building momentum for action. Housing, homelessness and dereliction – A home for all This issue was frequently cited as either a concern with the current state, or a future hope that “everyone has a home”. Often simply captured as ‘housing’ or ‘homelessness’, some response have more specific focus, e.g. getting people of the streets or lack of student housing. The related issue of dereliction was also identified as a concern. Diversity, Inequality, Inclusion and Wellbeing – Responsive to population needs to be safe, healthy and well with equity of access and opportunity A range of responses captured relate to aspects of inequality and inclusion, equal opportunity and a fairer economy. The frequency of responses referencing a concern for a rise in far-right rhetoric is particularly notable. A number of comments situate this with a wider context of inequality in relation to disadvantage, as well as polarisation of opinion and social media being referenced. Equality for disadvantaged areas is also a key concern, for example that these areas won’t change in keeping with the city and concern around effects of inequality, including on social cohesion.
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These resonate with concerns that refer to ‘disconnection within community’, ‘not knowing your neighbour’ or the ‘loss of community’ and references are made to how these issues affect young people. Community amenities, events and transport are referenced as well as concerns over gentrification and affordability in the city. A related concern is expressed in responses around to safety and security in the city, whilst another references a hope for an ‘Integrated healthy city integrated into local environment’. Other responses related to inclusion reflect hopes and concerns for health and wellbeing for all in diverse and inclusive city. These include references to particular cohorts and their specific needs including: • people experiencing homelessness as referenced above; • people with disabilities, including examples such as more understanding, physical accessibility, not enough wheelchair access or provision for disability, or more opportunities within workplaces; • people struggling with addiction as an issue for the city the need for secure health supports such as an ‘advanced recovery academy for the city’, or ‘tackling drug use before it escalates’; • older populations and for example their needs for transport and facilities particularly to support mental health; • families and their needs; • traveller community and a need for greater solidarity from settled community; • nurturing children and young people and their needs for spaces for them to ‘connect’, to ‘be themselves’ The sense of providing a future for the next generation comes through. Getting Around – Walk, cycle, light rail and public transport A number of hopes and concerns relate to transport, mobility and getting around the City - enhancing walkability and neighbourhoods for example through bus shuttles and public transport improvements. A significant number of response hope for; more connected transport specifically including hopes for high speed rail and light rail. Cycling also features with a hope for being able to cycle without risk and hopes for the future of Cork cycling campaign. City Centre - A vibrant space for community and business There were a number of responses that relate to hopes and concerns for Cork City Centre. Concerns about a ‘dying city centre’ and hopes for its regeneration with a sustainable growth model. In particular a number of responses relate to the balance of shops, businesses and residential uses in the city centre, with hopes that more people live in city centre. Similar sentiments are expressed in concerns that Cork becomes a consumer city or a city of banks, hotels and offices. Reponses hope that it will keep character and personality as it expands and grows and related to above points of safety, that it will become a safer and more attractive place for families and older people, where concerns clearly indicate that for some people the city it is a no-go zone, especially at night. Other hope and concerns express to this sense of vibrancy as opportunities, things happening, or things to do as well as overarching aspirations such as ‘Cork will be a welcoming place’ and ‘fulfill our potential as international city’. There is hope for tourism opportunity and business diversity and concerns that there are no spaces for smaller orgs, cultural orgs, arts district. There are hopes for Docklands development, green
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spaces and public spaces in the city as well as investment in supporting local neighbourhoods businesses, shops, butchers, grocers. Overall responses indicate a recognition of changing times and aspirations that Cork can ‘evolve but retain uniqueness’ as a culturally rich city. Change - how we work together towards the future A number of hopes and concern relate to how we work together as city to tackle issues and realise or manage the changes ahead. Example of comments invite ‘confidence and leadership’, ‘solutions focussed’ rather than reactive, to move ‘beyond business as usual’, ‘to be innovative’ to ‘learn from mistakes’ and aspiration such as ‘working together to improve the future – empathy and action’. There is a sense of hopes for improvement around collaborative decision making, to ‘harness good passion to improve’ build ‘collectivity, action, people power’, for people to be ‘socially connected around SDGs’ or that ‘people would exercise their right with bottom up democracy’. These express an appetite for positive change where we ‘learn to grow’, can mobilise around a ‘realisation that together we can change things’ and the opportunities for enhanced inter-agency working for communities, creativity and talent to attract ‘the best and brightest’. Education, adult education and community engagement feature in these responses as potential areas of action. Horizon Scan: These workshops took place on 13 th and 18 th April 2023. The government decision to lift the eviction ban took effect from 31 st March 2023 bringing the national housing crisis into focus sharp in public discourse. At the time of drafting this report, the Dublin riots later in the year demonstrate the reality of the risks and impact of a rise in far right rhetoric combined with the effects of disadvantage in our communities – making it a far more plausible future than we might hope. These issues and concern were clearly being felt in Cork earlier in the year.
“Rise of right wing groups”
“ Keeps personality as it grows”
“ level of dereliction
“More equality and opportunity for disadvantaged communities”
especially with housing crisis”
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2.3 Preferred Futures - Ambitions
INSIGHTS: Future Ambition
The dominant aspirations were around city being recognised as ‘Greenest’ (including headlines around climate, carbon, biodiversity), ‘Inclusive’, as ‘Most Liveable’ and ‘Quality of Life’, as ‘Happiest’ and around health. Many referred to economic prosperity, including employment and entrepreneurship and start up businesses. Living costs, affordability, creativity, education, culture, food, accessibility, transport (particularly light rail), sports, play, young people, older people, all feature also, as well as places and spaces such as housing, waterways, harbour, and walkways. Of course, there was plenty of mention of Cork becoming the Capital of Ireland.
Description of Activity: Collected through a rapid ‘Headlines from the Future’ exercise. This short activity invited participants to imagine it’s the year 2050 - What Cork success story is making news headlines around the world? From these headlines for success we glean some key insights around
imagining preferred futures for our cities. High Level Summary Content Analysis:
Articulating preferred futures as stories, in particular news headline lends itself to also situation perspectives of Cork in a global context. Many responses refer to being Cork being recognised externally as leading in certain areas. These were often ‘in the world’ or global but see Cork in and on a European Stage. Key organisations and frameworks were referenced, for example UN, World Economic Forum and the Global SDGs. Often the headline indicates explicitly or implicitly the types
of measures we typically see arising from City and urban indices. • UN Security Council To Be Held In Cork As A Recognition Of Its Roles In Citizen’s Peace Initiatives • Cork Becomes Permanent World Capital Of Culture • Cork City Has The Highest Percentage Of Young Entrepreneurs And Start-Ups • No One On Our Housing List In Cork! Zero Homelessness Figure • Cork Creates First City Of Confidence • Cork Has Overtaken Copenhagen In The World’s Most Liveable City Index • Roof Top Garden’s On All New Buildings In Cork A Resounding Success • Best Place To Be Young In Europe, Like!
• Cork Harbour Tidal Power Generator A Success! • Rebel City Boasts First Active Travel Award! • Cork – The Shining Light – Europe’s Most Inclusive City • Great Success Of Olympic Village In Cork City • Sustainable Cork Feeds Itself • European Centre For Cancer Care Opens In Cork
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2.4 Foresights and insights – Challenges and Opportunities for Tackling Issues
The workshop focussed participants on thinking and reflecting on broad issues considering (i) specific challenges and opportunities around addressing city issues, and (ii) the assets, gaps or new thinking to be harnessed to realise optimal futures for the city. These are outlined in the next sections. Participants were invited to think about the future of Cork City and its communities, and capture their own thoughts on: What specific opportunities inspire you? What specific challenges need to be addressed? Facilitated table discussions exchanges thoughts and discussed, mapping opportunity and challenges on to a group worksheet.
INSIGHTS: Opportunities
INSIGHTS: Challenges
• Green Spaces • Docklands • Redevelopment • Community • Food • Education • Cork and Munster as European leaders in renewable energy wind and solar • Climate action job creation • Social and affordable housing • Free transport, public accessibility • Cork Access Education Network • Increasing / investment in social inclusion and community development at local level • Communities to lead, achieving collective vision • People care – employment and safety • Empower and support women’s health • Social enterprise developments – bring people into employment and achieve social impact • Work-life balance: 4 day week • Investment in childcare infrastructure • The river for amenity and transport • Support for families • Health and wellbeing – access to information, food and social spaces for youth, support most vulnerable • Youth • Learning from each other • Free transport
• Transport • Behaviour change for active travel • Mobilising community involvement for action • Communication • Housing and affordable homes • Inequality on northside • Ageing population • Accessibility (hills) • Visibility of opportunities, imposter syndrome • Economic divide • Isolation and city connection • Hate speech and safety of minorities • Polarisation and misinformation • Dereliction of existing buildings • Lack of green spaces • Affordable services • Natural disasters, floods • Complacency • Proper change management practices • Regulatory barriers • Lack of participation from marginalised communities • Local government reform • Regulatory challenges • Lack of city residents • Attracting funding to deliver
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2.5 Assets, drivers, gaps, and new thinking needed to realise preferred futures
Participants were invited to think about enabling preferable futures for the City as a whole, considering the analogy of nurturing a healthy forest. They were asked capture their own thoughts on: Seeds to Sow, Spaces to Gow, Mature Trees to Protect and New Shoots to be nurtured and cultivated. Facilitated table discussions exchanges thoughts and discussed, capturing discussions on to a group worksheet. INSIGHTS: Gaps INSIGHTS: Seeds Gaps and clearings, spaces to grow: • City centre: better and covered seating, stores and nightlife Seeds to sow • Playgrounds • Accessible public spaces
• Private interest hold on City Centre • Bureaucracy as barrier to progress • Time and availability • Our attractions – parks, places of interest, tourism • Promotion of/awareness of city events for everyone • Promote / practical support for social enterprise • Youth events • Support for single parents • Small local businesses in city centre to bring life • North Main Street, Old Mall, Butter Market • New voices in old institutions, opportunities for youth • Creative space for arts • High density housing • Cork Harbour/Docklands • Regeneration • Grow strong ties and communication with citizenry • Just transition to prevent unintended consequences – plan effectively and include everyone • Reduce barriers to participation in workforce • Clear cars out! • Community hubs co-create with communities, lesson learnt from rural hubs • Social Enterprises • Recognise work being done, highlight it, expand on it • Start to talk again! Less smartphone consultations and more conversations!
• Youth friendly gathering areas • Renewable public transport • Learn from other countries • Sustainable housing • What Cork means to us all • Culture of diversity and inclusion • Repair culture – basing new education paths around aged traditions • Mini parks, quiet ways, play streets • Roads and street ways for cycle and pedestrian access and safety • Symbiotic relationships- better ways to communicate and collaborate with groups • Universal design for services, planning, development • Climate emergency acting like we did with COVID • Integration and inclusion in decision making, including youth • Green neighbourhoods, car-free communities • Be bold! Innovative, friendly, trend- setting pilots • Energising community spaces and a stronger sense of community and belonging • Seeds of positivity • Social Enterprise Officer • Talent attraction • Responses to rise of far right Ideas with youth
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INSIGHTS: Assets
INSIGHTS: New Shoots
Mature and established assets to protect • Natural resources – River • Built heritage e.g. listed buildings • Existing landmarks • Cork culture • Cultural heritage • Maintain character • Neighbourhoods • Walkable city • Institutions – openness to grow • Interconnected communities • Values • Existing big employers and MNCs • Cork Harbour • Marina Market • Independent family businesses • Elderly population Patrick Street – move away from shops to community and social spaces • Structural dereliction good examples of restoration (e.g. Lapps Quay) • Protect cultural identity to be open but not becomes homogenised city
Early or emerging assets to cultivate and grow • Artist / creative spaces • Use the River – tourism and communities • Green spaces • Cultivate diversity • Involve smaller voices in inter-agency networks and education • Cross pollinating between groups/communities • Age Friendly City • Cultivate passion of cork citizens for Cork • Increase volunteerism • New governance structures in community groups • Continue to maintain reality – ask the community! • Recovery awareness • Re-imagine trade / apprenticeship • Existing food culture/business • Sustainable opportunities food and agriculture • Car free city centre • Social enterprise develoment • Funding support available for new shoots- can’t develop potential without time, investment, support • Organsiations need more core funding to increase capacity • Engage young people • Multicultural, child friendly, healthy cities • Making housing in the city accessible • Ramping up work on sustainability and biodiversity to make Cork a leader • City of Play • Water City – river transport, recreation, quays Local initiatives that have been shown to be working
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Part 3 – Staff Consultation
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3.1 Drivers of Change
The staff workshop provided an opportunity to deepen the futures thinking approach and gather forsesights considering the drivers of change and harnessing the knowledge and expertise of the council staff across all key directorates. At the workshop staff were presented with the context and overview being invited to add their expertise through the workshop, and additional thoughts pertaining to the draft pillars. It was also an opportunity to exchange learning and consider internal factors that inform effective, ambitious and realistic planning and delivery. Description of Activity: Group table discussions explore: a) ‘Unpack’ – what are some key drivers for Corks future and what needs to be considered for future planning… b) What are some of the certainties or unknows to consider? INSIGHTS: Drivers Capacity / Infrastructure ‒ Related to all other drivers ‒ Grow capacity ‒ Too inward looking ‒ Better plan over multi-annual funding ‒ Too many processes ‒ Place-making Housing Provision & Homelessness / Building ‒ Current and supporting infrastructure ‒ Economic premises/retail ‒ Cost commercial ‒ New poverty ‒ Direct provision ‒ Imbalance of social housing between north and south ‒ Dereliction / encouraging development
‒ New developments, but not new communities ‒ New communities interaction/ assimilation ‒ Non-economic factors ‒ Co-design new builds, multi-disciplinary – fire-safety, OTs. How can the fire dept. be prepped? ‒ Regeneration and fire safety ‒ Severs site, Gouldings, gas, inhibiting Docklands ‒ Modern methods of construction e.g. modular ‒ Energy efficiency of buildings ‒ 15 min city – what mean and how? ‒ Buildings for artists ‒ Accessibility ‒ Fabric of the city, participation by all ‒ Impact on city centre ‒ Cost to retrofit old infrastructure to allow for city centre living especially for young people
City Centre retail, dereliction, public realm
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Diverse society, Conflict/War and Migration
‒ Changing society through diversity ‒ Racism is real!! ‒ Rise of far right ‒ Such varying demographics feeds into housing, homelessness and belonging ‒ A resilient city ‒ Inclusion of communities/communities rallying to support ‒ Impact on city- environment, peoples health, quality of life ‒ Impact on infrastructure ‒ Modes of transport ‒ Shifting mindsets; reactions to changes new road, paths; cost personal and funding concerns ‒ Public/personal input ‒ Time involves ‒ Green procurement ‒ Flloding response ‒ Waste – not just food and clothing but also services – sharing services! ‒ Greening of city
Climate Change
New Technology / Digital
‒ Innovation advancement ‒ Global expansion, connection, partnership cities ‒ Impact on employment ‒ Workloads ‒ Positive and negative ‒ Upskilling ‒ Unknown capacity of AI ‒ Diversity in recruitment to CCC ‒ Fear of AI ‒ Eradication of some jobs / creation of other ‒ Use of AI in training in some departments in CCC ‒ First responders, refugee / Ukrainian crisis ‒ Innovation/technological advancement
Cultural and social, library, recreation
‒ Availability of funding ‒ New library building ‒ More demand for recreation/amenity ‒ Social spaces for teenagers ‒ New tech – EVs, carbon neutral tech Free transport as a driver
Active travel and pedestrian access
‒ Electric bikes opening up North city to more active travel ‒ Access challenging – legislation versus pedestrianisation. Spaces need to be shares appropriately allow for all
Population Change
‒ Age profile ‒ Resources ‒ Density
Skills and People
‒ Education ‒ No apprenticeships ‒ Need to promote construction companies not needing wet skills ‒ Inhibitions to growth and innovation ‒ Workforce – reduce barriers to employment (ageing)
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‒ Ongoing re-training and upskilling – AI
Belonging
‒ Diversity and Demographic Change needs to be reflected in organisations ‒ Community belonging – large volume of work for community capacity and funding for community resources on a multi- annual basis to allow communities to plan for themselves
Inclusiveness
‒ Community networks/employers ‒ Suburbia focus ‒ Inclusion of migrants ‒ Cork won’t grow if isn’t welcoming
Neighbourhood level
‒ Building communities ‒ City Development Plan and IAPs (3k people ideal) ‒ Funding / planning structure ‒ More neighbourhood level planning ‒ Good regeneration plan for Knocknaheeny ‒ Climate aspect ‒ Commercial aspect ‒ Evolving/changing travel demands – how to address?
Regional connections
EU
‒ Risk aversion ‒ Ready made opportunities (international)
‒ More testing on the ground ‒ Capacity/lack of collaboration
Global / Local
‒ City autonomy ‒ Liveable cities ‒ Dealing with crisis/pandemics ‒ UN > National > local – but UN ? capacity of cities
INTERNAL FOCUSSED
Staffing and Culture
‒ Vacancies ‒ Need for more diversity ‒ Skills gap ‒ Recruiting policy ‒ Lack of communication ‒ Risk aversion ‒ Silo ling of information ‒ Too top down ‒ Representative of city
Communications
‒ Social media demands ‒ More communities being heard less? ‒ Website, app, socials – working? ‒ Return to townhall, livestreamed?
‒ Internal comms – global email, intranet working? ‒ Inclusion in comms, be more proactive with migrants
Changing political landscape
‒ Need far more diversity
Expectations
‒ Managing expectations ‒ Pace of change ‒ Increased legislation ‒ Increased reporting
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‒ Role of national government ‒ Subsidiary ‒ Creating a demand for resources – input on other services ‒ Size of city / resources
Mindsets
‒ Ability to persuade / persuasion methods ‒ Staff and public buy-in ‒ Rate of change increasing ‒ Technology/skills/communication gaps ‒ Ne starters usually more skilled
Age / Power Gap
Property
‒ Resources ‒ Lack of digital system ‒ Bureaucracy/red tape ‒ Increased remote ‒ Impact on city centre ‒ Vision and values
Ways of working
‒ Improvements in motivation ‒ Measured in service delivery ‒ AI augmented training needed internally and facilitate Cork as an AI city ‒ Free courses ‒ Shared goals across council ‒ Re-orientate how we will work towards purpose! Anti-silo ‒ Joining the dots ‒ Knowledge sharing across departments
3.2 Mapping Existing Assets
The community workshops had provided an opportunity to identify existing city strengths and assets. Building on this, the workshop with staff sought to deepen the work of co-mapping and identifying specific existing assets in the city. The staff working across the multiple directorates of the council have extensive knowledge of the city and working relationships with stakeholders. The workshop provided an opportunity to collaboratively take stock of these. Participants were invited to map these to categories underpinned by an Asset Based Community Development approach. Description of Activity: Participants were asked to think about their role/work and through a rapid brainstorm exercise to capture key existing assets informed by where/what/who they are already working with. At table discussions provided an opportunity to share, collate and expand the mapping. In doing so, the groups were asked to further categorise these as mature assets or new shoots.
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INSIGHTS: Mature Assets Individuals and Talent - Cork authors, artists, writers - High no. of students - Continuing education/lifelong learning - Expand learning neighbourhoods - Social inclusion in corporate economics - Culture and humour
Culture, Stories and Shared History - Rebel identity - Architectural heritage
Exchange, Co-Operation, Collaboration - Size/scale of city – people know people - Participation - Inter-agency groups and structure - Business networks
- Outward looking - St Peters Church - Opera House - Everyman - Night time economy - Jazz Festival
- CCC, HSE, ETB, UCC, MTU – collaboration of these with business also - Community events – free tickets – private, public inconvenience , governance, volunteers
- Sports people - Pharma skillset - IT Skillset - Intergenerational learning - Too many to mention - Historical figures
- Cork Healthy Cities - Cork Learning City - Age Friendly City - Twinning City - Chamber - Patricks Day Fest - Cork Access Group
- Sports Clubs GAA - Historical walks - City Hall - City Archives - Folklore project - Arts galleries and museums - Crawford - NSF - Film Festival - Shandon - English Market - Festivals - Music, food, sport - GAA - Community arts and culture groups - The x Pub - Universities and Third level providers - UCC - MTU - Educaiton - Tyndall - College of Commerce - Crawford Gallery and Arts College - City Hall - Nano Nagle - Community centres [Fit for purpose] - Sport Clubs - GAA - Cork City Council FC - Munster Rugby - HSE and Hospitals - Cork Business Association
- Networks - Academics - Entrepreneurs
Communities and Associations - PPN - LCDP - Healthy Cities - Community Associations/ organisations in every area - Tidy towns - Mens Shed - CCP - Cork Meitheal - Elected members and their accessibility - Rotary - Lifelong Learning Festival - Age Action - Good Will - Volunteerism / voluntary community groups - CCP
Institutions
Physical Space
- Ten libraries - City museum / Museums - Martin H? - City Archives - Harbour and River as Blue Spaces - Topography of northside - Victorian Quarter - Regional Park - Fitzgerald Park - Mardyke - Marina Park - Use of Grand Parade & St Patrick St - Heritage buildings - Sports facilities - Ballincollig Park - Parks - Repurposing of heritage spaces - Conservation and biodiversity, allotments - Triskel - Blarney castle - Historic sites, Elizabethen Fort - The Lough - The Shakey Bridge - Docklands - Shandon
- Residents Groups - Interagency groups - Sports clubs - Community gardens - Credit Unions
- CCC / HSE / ETB - Meitheal Mara - Breweries - Charity Sector - Banks - Mental health - School of Music - Port of Cork
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