Although modest in size, the Shandon neighbourhood in Cork city’s northern sector bears immense potential of becoming an urban jewel, with its picturesque patchwork streets, centuries-old buildings, and the crowning Butter Market. Not least of its charms is the beautifully quaint St Anne’s Church with its renowned Shandon Belltower, a piece of history rooted firmly in 1722. Just a bit of tender loving care could morph this assortment of Victorian and Georgian architectural styles into a major attraction.
Looking over the Lee River from Myo Café on Pope’s Quay on a mellow autumn morning, it’s not hard to envisage Cork, with its resources and potential, evolving into a bustling, liveable city that could rival the likes of Europe’s lively Bilbao. And yet, there’s an undeniable undercurrent of neglect and melancholy. But it’s nothing that a vigorous, organized campaign can’t salvage.
Earlier in previous columns, we analysed Limerick and Galway’s promise as potential rivals to Dublin. Still, the more viable proposition is a well-synchronized regional plan combining Cork, Limerick, and Galway that encompasses transportation, communication, housing, cultural pursuits, and commercial elements to ensure a truly vibrant axis. Given Ireland’s landscape, the focus undeniably falls on the eastern region, perpetuating the supremacy of Dublin and Belfast. However, to strike a balanced new geographical equation, Cork must ascend to the helm, a leadership role that generations of proud Corkonians see as their destined place. As the lone Jackeen relative in a large Cork clan, I too acknowledge this foreseen destiny.
Assessed purely from an economic viewpoint, Cork is thriving. As the area which is expanding at the fastest rate and also stands as Ireland’s second-largest city, Cork holds an impressive population of 210,000, which extends to 305,000 when considering the wider metro zone. Contributing 19% of the nation’s gross domestic product, Cork boasts the fourth highest per capita disposable income in the country. Cork features a robust industrial sector with 194 multinational corporations, including Apple, Boston Scientific, and Janssen, employing close to 44,000 people– a number that has almost doubled in the previous decade. The pharmaceutical industry also flourishes in Cork as it provides nearly half of the county’s jobs in this sector. Furthermore, seven of the world’s top 10 pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of six blockbuster drugs, each generating more than $1 billion annually, can be found in Cork.
Bilbao has proven urban development and rejuvenation achievable. Like many Irish cities, Cork can, at times, appear neglected and marred by disrepair. Nonetheless, this city pulses with vibrant student life – around 36,000 students are attending its universities and colleges. The Financial Times’ European Cities of the Future Awards deemed Cork the top small European city for economic potential and forth in “business friendliness”. While potential can be exciting, it doesn’t always translate into reality. A notable 82% of members from the Cork Chamber agree that the city lacks the necessary funding to achieve the objectives set out in Project Ireland 2040. Although comparisons with other small and medium-sized European cities reveal Cork’s transport system is inadequate, coming in at 73rd out of 95 cities, there are a number of cities that have successfully reinvented themselves. Bilbao serves as a prime example of this and could potentially act as a blueprint for Cork.
Bilbao’s journey from a mundane industrial centre to Spain’s top-rated city for lifestyle quality owes a lot to architectural prowess and cultural investment, particularly extending credit to the renowned Guggenheim Museum. This enormous transformation came in harmony with the establishment of an effective public and metro transport system. Currently, Bilbao excels in five of the key parameters in Spain’s lifestyle quality assessment – education, mobility, health services, culture-leisure-sport, and cleaning and waste administration. It also ranks second in employment and third in environmental aspects. Around 15% of Bilbao’s inhabitants are immigrants, a slightly higher percentage than that in Cork City, which is at 12%. The city has also shifted its port and redeveloped the empty dockland adjacent to the river.
Teeming with a service-oriented economy, Bilbao presents a municipal GDP per individual of €35,841, while the average disposable income stands at a mere €19,405. As of 2021, according to available statistics, Cork seems slightly wealthier with an average disposable income of about €23,856 (2020).
Bilbao showcases how achievable city revitalisation and renewal can be if provided with the correct incentives, beginning with the property owners. Cork and other Irish cities often evidence neglect, dereliction and bear a shabby appearance. As per the most recent data, there exist over 705 empty and derelict buildings spread across the city, a figure that recorded a rise of 50% over the previous year. Question arises about how one can motivate property owners to exhibit more respect towards their properties and the city as a whole. It is an often-agreed upon sentiment that property neglect and vacancy are forms of vandalism, embodying the peak of anti-social behaviour by property owners.
A strategy for reversing this scenario is by modifying the reward system. The more enticing the rewards, the greater the response received. A theory named “Epics”, devised by Irish economist Eric Lonergan, outlines bold, revolutionary steps capable of eliciting abundance of positive changes. An extremely enticing reward for change and renovation could be a grand prize of €1 million awarded to the most impressive small-scale property revitalisation, refurbishment and rebuilding project.
If you were given the opportunity to win a grand, life-altering sum of money transforming your run-down property, wouldn’t you seize it? The concept is similar to the large cash prizes offered on commercial radio. Think of a £1 million tax-free reward for refurbishing your dilapidated premises. You’d surely reach out for your toolbox, paintbrushes, and scaffolding.
Mirroring the radio station method, the individual text cost to the station applied to numerous participants would significantly exceed the payout. Thus, the expense borne by this comprehensive renovation scheme would be more than reimbursed thanks to the VAT and related taxes projected from the increased construction activity.
Importantly, just like a radio station, the county should withhold this information from the participants. They should present it as a gracious reward for the exemplary corporate citizen given by the benevolent nation-state. Besides the monetary aspect, the prestige attached to being the most advanced, civic-minded real estate owner shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s crucial to highlight that the bragging rights hold considerable significance, within Cork and beyond.
The state, using the councils, could launch this initiative in every city plagued by neglect. However, Cork may serve as a good starting point. The interest from the Apple deposit could be used to fund the initial prize. The interest alone calculated on the Apple funds stands at roughly £520 million. Allocating £5 million from this for the scheme in five cities would prompt a whirlwind of building and refurbishment, thereby making up for the invested money via additional tax contributions produced. The reward would garner nationwide attention— a tax-exempt £1 million gift to a small trade could bring about an exceptional change.
Incognito judges with impeccable standards, akin to the Michelin star judges, could be designated. This substantial inducement would revitalise Ireland’s rundown city streets, fostering a competitive spirit among remodelers to outshine, outsmart, and out-renovate others. Envision a supercharged version of Tidy Towns, underpinned with tangible cash. Portray the vibrant and brushed-up lanes and streets of Shandon, where the locals are striving for a chance to win the £1 million prize fund.
The significant drive from such strong positive incentives coupled with genuine, substantial infrastructure investments, could rapidly revolutionise urban Ireland. Interestingly, it’s the same Spanish firms that delivered the Bilbao metro within schedule and budget that are taking charge of this. Leading this transformation, of course, would be Cork.