Dublin: The Shaping of a Capital (World Cities Series)

World Cities Series edited by R. J. Johnston, University of Essex and P.L. Knox, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Dublin, the Georgian architectural gem, and Dubliners, the people immortalised by Joyce and Behan, share a highly romantic and idealised international image. The aim of this book is to examine through a comprehensive urban geography of the city how far the stereo-typical picture of Dublin life and landscape mesh with the real facts of a modern industrial and political capital, dominating in size and influence a small country on the edge of the European Community. Andrew MacLaran begins his study by sketching Dublin's historical roots from Norse foundations through Irish and English influences to the emergent capital of an independent Ireland. He then examines the evolution of the urban economy since 1945 and analyses the Political and Planning contexts within which recent developments have taken place. Attention then focuses on the city's Population, its youthful age-structure and its social composition and then deals in some depth with the Housing System. The book concludes with an examination of the emergence of serious Inner-City problems resulting from economic restructuring. This important book will be widely read as the classic, authoritative study of a remarkable city. ContentsIntroductionThe origins and growth of DublinThe economy of DublinPolitics and governmentPlanning the cityStrategic planning of land-use and transportationCreating the urban landscapeThe population of DublinThe residential environmentInner-city problems and regenerationEpilogueAndrew MacLaran is the author of 'Dublin: The Shaping of a Capital (World Cities Series)', published 1993 under ISBN 9780471947110 and ISBN 0471947113.