BLOSSITY
Hofplein 20
3032AC Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Dublin City
Location
Dublin
Scale
Timeline
3 months
Sector
Corporate Urbanism
Services
Place Vision
Team
Jorick Beijer
CHALLENGE
To develop a new positioning for Dublin City in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the wider behavioural trends that change the form and function of downtown areas. With the Dublin Development Plan (2022-2028) and the Dublin Town renewal plan in the making, the timeline and challenge are crystal clear: what kind of city do we want Dublin to become in the next six years?
Doughnut Economics Action Lab (2020)
The Amsterdam City Doughnut Available at: amsterdam.nl
DUBLIN IN THE NEWS
“Places have a reputation, and we have an opinion about them, first or second hand”
The eight best city for vegans
[National Geographic 2021]
15th most liveable city in the world
[ECA International 2021]
The 10 Most Expensive Cities For A Post-Pandemic Vacation Rental
[Forbes 2021]
Trinity College Dublin = 155 in Times World University Ranking 2021. 32% int stdnt.
University College Dublin = 251-300. 30% int stdnt.
The third top city in Europe for tech and innovation investment
[fDi /TNW 2020]
RESPONSE
We began by conducting a brand reputation survey to understand how people value Dublin City as a destination. The study was supported by desk research on global trends in retail, leisure, and working and living behaviours – particularly focused on the rebound from the pandemic – as well as a series of expert interviews within the local government and business community in Dublin.
Rather than charting a course to restore the previous status quo, we used our futuring methodology and created seven strategic scenarios that are rightly aimed toward building a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable future. All these themes are supported with best practices from global cities that compare to Dublin.
We then merged these seven strategic themes into three frameworks. These frameworks are different blends of existing Dublin values and areas of growth – resulting in three narratives that each tell the story of Dublin City in a unique way.
The loveable green city
The community incubator
the city as culture hub
THE IMPACT
Rethinking the wider positioning of Dublin City is about dialogue, developing a coalition of the willing and building (financial) partnerships that support the entire ecosystem of changemakers. It’s about making choices. Our position as international consultants helped to go approach the subject with fresh eyes and without strings attached. The whitepaper that Blossity developed clearly outlined the landscape of opportunities and has been instrumental in catalysing the dialogue between the Dublin Town business association and Dublin City Council.
