UCD Earth Institute Democracy & Environment Series III: 'Building Stories'

UCD Earth Institute Democracy & the Environment Series III: Building Stories: Irish Towns, Vacancy and Data

Tuesday, 28th May 2024. 12:00 - 14:00 MoLI (Museum of Literature Ireland; 86 St Stephen's Green Dublin 2.

The upcoming seminar session, 'Building Stories: Irish towns, vacancy and data' will report on and discuss the implications of SFI-funded research that explores the generation of reliable and dynamic baseline data on the likelihood of vacancy as a mechanism for managing the efficient use of our built environment. This research acknowledges the potential for the reuse of existing building stock to provide much needed homes, reduce the embodied carbon of the construction industry, and contribute to the revitalisation of town centres for sustainable communities.

The seminar will open with welcome remarks by Earth Institute Director Professor Eoin O'Neill and feature Dr Philip Crowe (Co-founder UCD Centre for Irish Towns -CfIT- and Assistant Professor in the UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy and the UCD School of Civil Engineering) with the presentation ‘Building Stories: Irish towns, vacancy and data’. This will be followed by a panel discussion with the participation of Ali Harvey (Principal Planner & Project Manager with Nicholas O’Dwyer Ltd) and ​​Dr Gavin McArdle (UCD School of Computer Science and CeDAR), where the audience will be able to engage in a Q&A session, and participants will be able to make connections with similar perspectives around the theme of vacancy in Irish towns and the role of vacant properties in sustainable town regeneration.

This event will be hosted in person, and capacity is limited. We ask that you register only if you can attend this event.

Biography

Dr Philip Crowe is UCD Assistant Professor for Climate Responsive Design in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy (APEP) and the School of Civil Engineering. He is co-Director of the UCD Centre for Irish Towns, Programme Director of the MSc in Architecture, Urbanism and Climate Action, and Director of Research in UCD APEP. Philip is working on a range of EU and nationally funded research projects relating to town revitalization, vacancy and adaptive reuse, compact urban growth, urban resilience, and citizen participation in processes of change. He was previously Director of Sustainable Design at M.CO (Dublin) from 2003-2012.

​​Dr Gavin McArdle is an Associate Professor at the UCD School of Computer Science. He is also a Collaborator with CeADAR – Centre for Applied Data Analytics. His research focus includes geographic information science, mobility, geovisual analysis, smart city technology, VGI and urban dynamics. Gavin has an extensive publication record, including edited books, book chapters, articles and research papers. He has been a keynote speaker at several international conferences and institutes and has received several grants from National and European Funding agencies to support his research.

Ali Harvey is Principal Planner & Project Manager with Nicholas O’Dwyer Ltd, part of the global RSK Group. Ali is a Chartered Planner and qualified Project Manager with 20+ years’ experience of managing innovative planning programmes and projects in accordance with Irish and European planning and environmental legislation, including as a planning officer for the Heritage Council. She has led on the provision of evidence-based regeneration and planning and development advice to all levels of government and to the private and civic sectors in Ireland. Ali specialises in sustainable development embracing the design of best practice stakeholder engagement and management processes to ensure the successful delivery of key infrastructural projects in urban/rural, coastal and off-shore areas. In addition, she is a champion for the delivery of the UNSDGs and climate change targets at a local, regional, national and European level. She was also an external sponsor for the setting up of the UCD Centre for Irish Towns.

About the 'Democracy and the Environment' Seminar Series

The UCD Earth Institute presents the 'Democracy and the Environment Series', a sequence of seminars and discussions focused on the role of democracy and the environment, citizen trust in public institutions, and the sustainability agenda in the context of the local and presidential elections.

This event will be hosted in person at the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) in Dublin, and capacity is limited. Advanced registration is required.

Context: 2024 The Most Important Year for Democracy

2024 is the most significant election year in history. Approximately 60 countries representing more than half of the world's total population will elect their representatives in presidential, legislative and local elections across the globe. From South to North America, across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, citizens will vote in the most ambitious year for democracy. In many countries, at the centre of the elections, amongst other topics, climate change, sustainability and climate transition will be part of the conversation that will decide the future of each country. The relevance of this year's elections deserves the facilitation of a space to highlight the work of the researchers and connect it with the broader society, including citizens, local authorities, politicians and academia, enabling a space for collaboration and conversation.