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19-05-2010

Urban Disadvantage expands with retreat of Celtic Tiger

'Ghost' housing estates on the outskirts of provincial towns and smaller villages, a legacy of Celtic Tiger Ireland, are becoming sites of urban disadvantage as home owners are trapped by the twin effects of unemployment and unsustainable mortgages, Professor Tommy Cooke, Chairman of Pobal said today.

Pobal is an intermediary that works on behalf of Government to support communities and local agencies toward achieving social inclusion, reconciliation and equality.

Addressing a seminar on urban disadvantage which was organised by Pobal as part of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, Prof. Cooke said: "Urban disadvantage is no longer the domain of inner city housing estates and projects. Despite the progress made in areas like St. Theresa’s Gardens or Fatima Mansions and the regeneration projects in Limerick city, regrettably the current economic downturn has the potential to further the divide between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' in our urban areas. It is no longer a phenomenon of cities but exists in the peripheral housing estates within or on the outskirts of provincial towns and villages".

Prof. Cooke said that, in tackling the problem of urban disadvantage, policy makers and local government needed to be conscious and inclusive of the numerous projects and initiatives focused on communities of interest, such as Travellers, one parent families or migrant families. "Regeneration which is not inclusive is neither just nor socially sustainable," he said.

"History shows us that challenging times such as we now find ourselves provide opportunities to be more creative, co-operative and incisive in our responses," commented Prof. Cooke. "It is fitting therefore that we optimise the opportunities presented by the European Year for Combating Poverty to review and reconfigure our actions and responses towards eliminating poverty and social inclusion in urban settings".

'A Tale of Two Cities? Learning to develop more effective strategies to tackle Urban Disadvantage' was held in the F2 Centre, Reuben Plaza in Rialto and was addressed by John Fitzgerald, (ESRI), John Bissett, (Community Worker, St. Michael’s Estate, Inchicore, Dublin 8) and Anastasia Crickley (Centre for Applied Social Studies, National University of Ireland, Maynooth).

Speakers reflected on the issues and challenges for those involved in combating disadvantage in urban areas, especially in the context of considerably reduced resources.