CHANGING CITIES Dispersed Urbanism in an Irish Context

This brief essay questions the use of traditional urban design methods in the dispersed city and seeks to explore new overlapping strategies to be used when regenerating or invigorating the low density urban environment. The article illustrates various student projects generated during the urban design workshop 'Changing Cities' in Nantes School of Architecture (led by design tutor Susan Dunne) where the students explored three cities in Ireland (Belfast, Limerick and Tallaght). The three cities that have in common low density dispersed urban conditions that go hand in hand with a high concentration of socio-economic problems. An interdisciplinary flexible design approach forms the basis for the project proposals creating new situations and new energies as opposed to master planning a formal response.