‘Grassroots’ culture in Ireland

In my very first post on this blog – a ramble on how urban planning could be made a lot more interesting – I said that my next post would look at how we can encourage the development of interesting cultural venues in our towns and cities. So apologies that I’m only getting ’round to it now.

By ‘interesting’ cultural venues, I essentially mean ‘grassroots’ venues – spaces run by artists devoted to the public display of music, fine art, theatre, photography or whatever-you’re-having. These spaces are probably small and run on a non-commercial basis. Some might be considered ‘underground’ venues, and they often rely more on word-of-mouth for promotion than direct advertising. However they operate, they certainly making urban spaces a heck of a lot more interesting. Dublin has a few that sort of bit the bill: Red Space,  The Joinery, Hideaway House, ThisIsNotAShop, The Shed.

Ten things to love about Temple Bar

Temple Bar gets a hard time – from Lonely Planet, from Frank McDonald, probably from a lot of people living in Dublin. But for all its obvious problems, which I won’t bother with here, it’s got a lot going for it too. So here’s the obligatory top ten list – I have no idea if I can fill it.

What could town planning learn from music festivals?

Wandering around in a haze at the Green Gathering one night, I started thinking about how the layout of music festivals is conducive to spontaneity and fun – the large open public spaces, the art installations that enthrall you as you drunkenly stumble by, the relaxed but secure atmosphere, the welcoming music venues and the late-night partying.

It’s hardly a revelation that festivals are fun, but what could we learn from them when it comes to improving towns and cities? As awareness grows of the importance of the places we live in to our mental and physical health, isn’t it possible that we could learn something from arguably the funnest urban environment there is?