The Polycentric Turn in the Irish Spatial Strategy

The 1990s have shown a rapid growth of the Irish economy coupled with a deepening of regional disparities within the country and an over-concentration of wealth and population in the Greater Dublin Area. This has called for a change in policy direction towards a more balanced regional development. The policy shift was marked by publication of the National Spatial Strategy. Although welcomed by the planning community it has been criticized for its lack of attention to implementation issues. What matters now is to maintain the consensus that has been achieved during the formative stages of this strategy and to further strengthen it at the implementation stage.