Sunday, November 6, 2011
TIF redevelopment projects
An interesting little article on one city's experience with Tax Increment Financing (TIFs)(Madison, Wisconsin) http://bit.ly/vM8NDo (Sourced from: Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space Blog http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/)
Dublin’s failed Design Capital Bid - The Pivot.
So Dublin failed in its bid to be called World Design Capital 2014. Its a shame for those people who put a lot of hard work into the proposal (and the long list of the great and the good who endorsed the effort), and as with any tender submission its pretty hard to take when you don’t come up trumps. Its also a normal human reaction to say to yourself that you put the best bid together possible, and you’re proud of what you achieved. And this reaction is evident post the failure of the Pivot (www.pivotdublin.com). They say "PIVOT Dublin intends forging ahead with its plans to implement its strategy".
However, now is the time to ask some hard questions about the Pivot bid (this was not done by the Irish Times or any other media).
Clearly what Dubliners should now be asking is: Did we do the right thing? How much was spent on this World Design Capital bid? (was it too much or too little) Did we spend the money in the best way we could? Were the right people involved? Should it be Council led or designer led?
When you think of cities and design, there is always a strong association with traditions, and skill sets. Milanese fashion, Turin cars, Copenhagen furnishings, Glasgow Macintosh, Birmingham motor engineering, Paris... everything. In Dublin are we any the wiser?
For me the Pivot was unbalanced by too much emphasis on architecture and development, too much talk of the future and visions, and not enough digging for the design culture in the city as it is experienced now. Contemporary design is always a reflection of what the city is and where it has come from and who is there. A design culture is the sum of a multitude of art, craft and creativity (which I believe the Pivot recognises). Its also about a sense of pride and care in the city and what it stands for. Its also about wider society, and the design that it uses and appreciates every day.
Its a similar scenario to Dublin’s recent bid for the Georgian core to be designated a World Heritage Site? Who held up their hand and said this is why we failed and this is why we got it wrong and why our proposal never stood a chance with UNESCO. Did anyone even point a finger?? Why not! Its very important.
Dublin should be a design capital; the talent is here and it is a wonderful city (present tense). But if we got it wrong once.......
However, now is the time to ask some hard questions about the Pivot bid (this was not done by the Irish Times or any other media).
Clearly what Dubliners should now be asking is: Did we do the right thing? How much was spent on this World Design Capital bid? (was it too much or too little) Did we spend the money in the best way we could? Were the right people involved? Should it be Council led or designer led?
When you think of cities and design, there is always a strong association with traditions, and skill sets. Milanese fashion, Turin cars, Copenhagen furnishings, Glasgow Macintosh, Birmingham motor engineering, Paris... everything. In Dublin are we any the wiser?
For me the Pivot was unbalanced by too much emphasis on architecture and development, too much talk of the future and visions, and not enough digging for the design culture in the city as it is experienced now. Contemporary design is always a reflection of what the city is and where it has come from and who is there. A design culture is the sum of a multitude of art, craft and creativity (which I believe the Pivot recognises). Its also about a sense of pride and care in the city and what it stands for. Its also about wider society, and the design that it uses and appreciates every day.
Its a similar scenario to Dublin’s recent bid for the Georgian core to be designated a World Heritage Site? Who held up their hand and said this is why we failed and this is why we got it wrong and why our proposal never stood a chance with UNESCO. Did anyone even point a finger?? Why not! Its very important.
Dublin should be a design capital; the talent is here and it is a wonderful city (present tense). But if we got it wrong once.......
First Impressions: Dublin
Came home last night to Dublin through the Airport. First Impression on the walk to passport check? The modern and efficient Pier D, the Impressive Terminal 2? Nope, it was a long series of Vodafone adverts.. showing people with placards welcoming home their friends and siblings with various 'hilarious' jibes about their holiday sexcapades. So this is how we welcome and encourage business- how was the holiday shag? Are there any serious people in Dublin Tourism, Failte Ireland, IDA or Enterprise Ireland who spend millions on investment in this country managing the message? This is not a question of morality, prudishness or sense of humour - its a question of 'is this a serious city or not'?
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