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THE NEW GOVERNMENT faces an immense challenge in solving Ireland’s housing and infrastructure crisis. With a housing deficit of 250,000 homes and a population projected to grow by an additional one million people over the next 20 years, the next government must act decisively.
We at the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) are calling for a radical shift in mindset in how we plan and deliver our cities and urban centres. The current system of planning and development cannot deliver the well-designed environments needed for our future.
It has left us with long commutes, high carbon emissions and social dislocation. These problems are compounded by high infrastructure costs and poor access to social services like schools, healthcare and childcare. It is time for a radical departure from the status quo.
The draft revised National Planning Framework highlights the need to build in targeted areas that prevent the unchecked sprawl that has marred much of our development to date. Ireland’s housing needs are not just a question of numbers but of community and climate obligations.
A new mindset is urgently needed – one that embraces not just the building of homes, but the creation of thriving, sustainable and inclusive communities. As the representative body for architects, the RIAI is calling on the incoming government to take bold steps to make this a reality.
Firstly, the government must provide the necessary resources to focus the public sector on achieving value and sustainable outcomes for people. This means ensuring that the houses we build are not only affordable but are the right homes in the right places and designed by qualified architects, collaborating with planners and engineers. A collaborative approach will ensure that we are not simply constructing housing but creating homes within sustainable communities that have long-term value and are future-proofed against climate change.
This government urgently needs to reform our dysfunctional planning system. The long-awaited Planning and Development Act is a first step. It must be implemented with the resources to support quality development and faster approval processes.
Uncertainty and inconsistency in the planning process create delays that undermine progress and confidence in the system – and we know this is affecting investment. Funding is moving to other countries that offer longer-term certainty.
We can change this through a collaborative forward planning approach where skilled urban planning resources are deployed to set out clear and agreed long-term visions and strategies for our people, our communities and our businesses, rather than the outdated current system where planning policy has in many cases emerged through a planning control and appeals process of individual applications. Many of our European partners have moved to this new model, and with the right leadership, we can also move quickly to adapt and embrace this new approach.
It is essential that we overhaul our procurement and public works contracts, which are burdened with excessive red tape and repetitive administrative tasks that add time and cost. The system must be designed to support long-term quality, foster innovation and remove obstacles to ensure small and medium businesses and practices who could help drive the housing delivery are not excluded but actively encouraged to participate. This alone could provide much-needed agile resources with the capacity, ability and energy to deliver many new projects.
The bureaucracy and inefficiencies in the current procurement and delivery processes are directly contributing to the shortfall in housing delivery, and this must change.
Adaptation and Reuse of older buildings can provide sustainable solutions to housing problems and also revitalise underused parts of our towns and cities. Many of our building regulations are developed for new buildings, they need to be quickly updated to reflect the new reality and actively support the sustainable reuse of our valued resources.
There are many wonderful recent examples of how we can do this successfully.
The government must ensure that all new housing is designed to create communities that are adequately supported by necessary public and community infrastructure. This includes water, wastewater, and energy systems, as well as public transport, schools, healthcare, and recreational facilities.
The rapid construction of housing estates in the 1990s and 2000s left us with housing, but not the vibrant, connected communities we need today. Our task now is to build and design homes that not only house people but are resilient and sustainable places that foster a high quality of life for future generations.
The scale of the challenge is undeniable, but the capabilities to meet it are well within reach if deployed correctly.
Ireland’s housing crisis is not insurmountable. To solve it, we must embrace a radical, coordinated approach – one that focuses on quality, sustainability, and the creation of vibrant communities, not just buildings. We have the financial resources to do this, what we need is a better way.
It is said that a country’s most valuable assets are its people and places. If that is the case, it is time for the next government to act decisively, boldly, and with a clear vision for the future. Only through such leadership and courage to act can we hope to solve the housing and public infrastructure crisis that is threatening to undermine our people’s health, prosperity and future.
Sean Mahon, FRIAI is RIAI President. The RIAI is the oversight body for Architects in Ireland.
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