Latest news with #sustainablecity
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Depicting the Metro as primarily an airport service is an example of Michael O'Leary's myopic thinking
To understand why Michael O'Leary 's arguments against the Dublin MetroLink are so flawed, you need to go back 25 years, when the project was first proposed in the Platform for Change transport plan for Dublin . That plan was based on the most detailed modelling of how our city should grow. It showed that a meshed network of public transport, safe cycling and walking routes was the only way of building a city that would work into the future. O'Leary's argument that we should give up on rail-based solutions and rely on the car and bus instead makes no sense. We will need a huge expansion in our bus service, but on its own it will not be able to carry the numbers needed to avoid inevitable gridlock. It is not a sustainable solution – even if every vehicle is guided by artificial intelligence and powered by clean electricity. The Metro will help us manage one specific capacity problem that we already knew about all those years ago, around the approach roads to Dublin Airport . Because these roads link so closely to the M1 and M50, which are the busiest roads in the country, they risk creating tailbacks that would clog up the entire road system. O'Leary wants the Government to just ignore the issue and undermine the independence of our planning system by scrapping the conditions that were put in place to manage this real capacity problem. He argues that the Metro will not be used by many airport passengers, but every vehicle diverted from that approach road matters. His proposal to ditch the Metro and abandon the rule of law by subverting the planning authority would do incredible damage to our country and do nothing to improve Dublin Airport. READ MORE Depicting the Metro as primarily an airport service is in any case an example of O'Leary's myopic thinking. It will first and foremost be a facility for the people of Swords and Ballymun, for students in Dublin City University and patients attending the Mater hospital . It can deliver the meshed network promised in the Platform for Change plan, by connecting to the mainline rail network at Glasnevin and Tara Street and to the Luas at Charlemont, St Stephens Green and O'Connell Street. [ Dublin's MetroLink: How much will it really cost? Opens in new window ] In the intervening years, we have also modelled where the second phase of the Metro will go. It is not designed to stop at Charlemont, but will continue from there to Terenure, Rathfarnham, Knocklyon, Firhouse and Tallaght, which are poorly served by public transport. The project was split because it was too big as a single line, but once we have delivered the first phase it should be a lot easier and cheaper to complete the second phase. What we will have then is a rail artery connecting the north and south sides of the city, joining up with all the other lines and making the city work in a cleaner, more efficient and social way. The final argument from O'Leary is that the Metro is now too expensive, citing the €23 billion price tag that has been put out there by some as the likely cost. Again, you need to know the history of the project to understand where that incredibly inflated price tag is coming from. Michael O'Leary's proposal 'to ditch the MetroLink and abandon the rule of law by subverting the planning authority would do incredible damage to our country and do nothing to improve Dublin Airport'. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins Photos The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has always opposed the Metro, for what seemed to me to be ideological rather than rational reasons. It succeeded in killing off the project in 2011 despite it having planning permission, being included in the national recovery plan and having funding support from the European Development Bank. The line also ran alongside large housing land banks the State then controlled through Nama , which were ready to be built upon once the Metro got the go-ahead. It was one of the worst investment decisions ever made in the history of the State not to go ahead at that time. Unfortunately, the department does not seem to have learned the right lessons from that experience. It is now more traumatised by the cost overruns from the building of the new National Children's Hospital and as a result is applying a new standard on the estimates for the Metro, which requires a 95 per cent certainty that no such cost overruns could ever occur. [ MetroLink delivery should be prioritised, US multinationals tell Government Opens in new window ] International experts confirmed to me it would be far more appropriate at this stage to apply a 50 per cent probability cost indicator, which brings the construction cost estimate down to less than €12 billion. It is hard to believe the department seems willing to talk up the odds of an expensive auction process, just to save face should there be future cost overruns. O'Leary does not help with his demeaning comments about the inability of the Irish State to deliver anything. In fact, we built out the motorways and Luas lines on budget and on time, just as we did with complex projects such as the National Broadband Plan and electricity interconnectors. Our biggest problem is a lack of confidence and conviction to deliver at speed. That is not helped by hurlers on the ditch such as O'Leary. Sowing doubt, derision and misinformation only delays projects and adds to the cost to the Irish public in the end.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Glimpse inside the new $400b US city with futuristic cable cars & bizarre skyscrapers – it will be bigger than Manhattan
A BILLIONAIRE is attempting to make a new $400 billion city in the US, making space for five million residents in a desert. The city, named Telosa, was thought up by former US Walmart e-commerce CEO Marc Lore. 6 6 6 Telosa hopes to bring futuristic urban planning to America by providing sustainable options to its residents. It would offer a community endowment to those who lived there, leading to higher land value and better funding for the city. "If the community sold the land and created an endowment — similar to a university or hospital endowment — they could earn $50 billion a year," the website read. "$50 billion that would go back to the citizens in the form of healthcare, education, jobs training, affordable housing, and more." The goal is 100 percent renewable energy in the new city, alongside zero waste. Much less bustling than New York City and way more modern than Los Angeles, the drawings show flying vehicles, self-driving cars, and tons of greenery. Uniquely-shaped buildings cover the skyline as a large transportation gateway sits in the center of Telosa. Some of the states being considered for the city include Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, and the Appalachian region. The city will be under a new economy structure dubbed as equitism, or "[a]n economic system in which citizens have a stake in the city's land." Incredible moment dolphin playfully DANCES with family of swimmers at popular UK beach Some equitism features include 20 percent food residency, 90 percent water reduction, zero mobility emissions, and 500 square ft. per capita in open space for residents. "It retains the same system of Capitalism but with an additional funding mechanism for enhanced services — through the land." "With Equitism, we will create a much higher-level of social services offered to residents, without additional burdens on taxpayers," the website reads. Lore, who also co-owns the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA Minnesota Lynx, currently serves as the founder and CEO of Wonder. "The mission of Telosa is to create a more equitable and sustainable future," Lore said of the project. "That's our North Star, and that'll never change." The project has been imagined with Lore by architecture company BIG, or Bjarke Ingels Group. It's promising better social services like education and housing, a participatory democracy, and a design that lessens noise and pollution with a good transportation system. "[I]t's not only about creating the city of Telosa itself, which we hope will set a new standard for urban living," the website says. "It's also about building a city with a soul, a city focused on actual human beings." 6 6 6
Zawya
09-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
New Murabba and Hanam City explore global urban development cooperation
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – As part of its global collaboration and learning strategy, New Murabba, PIF company, visited Hanam City in South Korea to explore synergies in sustainable city building and cultural innovation. Michael Dyke, CEO of New Murabba, met with Hanam Mayor, Lee Hyun-jae, and Ambassador at the World Travel & Tourism Council, Dho Young-shim, to discuss shared priorities between the New Murabba development in Riyadh – a flagship initiative under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 – and Hanam's globally positioned K-Star World project. The visit included a project briefing at the mayor's office, a tour of the Union Tower observation deck overlooking Misa Island – future site of K-Star World – and a walkthrough of Starfield Hanam, one of South Korea's premier mixed-use cultural and retail destinations. New Murabba is envisioned as a next-generation urban district where innovation, livability, and culture converge. Anchored by immersive architecture and human-centric planning, the development is redefining how global cities are designed, experienced, and sustained. K-Star World, currently in development by Hanam City, is a landmark cultural tourism complex. Spanning entertainment, hospitality, retail, and creative experiences, it aims to become a leading international destination that celebrates South Korean creativity while integrating smart-city infrastructure and public realm design. 'Hanam City has a compelling vision that blends local culture with global ambition,' said Michael Dyke, CEO of New Murabba. 'Our visit highlighted just how aligned our goals are – to build places where people thrive, where innovation is integrated, and where culture shapes the everyday experience.' During the visit, Michael Dyke expressed strong interest in Hanam's high-quality residential environment, livability, and the city's holistic approach to urban development – particularly its efforts to create integrated communities that enhance residents' well-being. This exchange reflects New Murabba's commitment to shaping the future of urban living through global partnerships, learning, and innovation – advancing a shared vision where life, work, and culture thrive in harmony.
Irish Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Dublin: The 13th best city in the world ... supposedly
If somebody asked you where Dublin ranked among the 1,000 largest cities in world, would you rank it thirteenth? Well, the team behind the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index did just that. A 'sustainable city' they called it, with top ratings for everything except a little, inconsequential thing called 'quality of life'. The Fair City ranked as just the 100th best city in the world when it comes to quality of life as Dubliners spend 'relatively more on housing than nearly anywhere else'. Digging deeper, that score suddenly seems even more generous. 'Dublin's challenges include its acute housing shortage, lack of economic diversity and the instability that comes with its sectoral composition,' the report reads, placing the Irish capital above the very cities our young people are queuing to emigrate to – Amsterdam ranked 27th, Berlin 29th, Brisbane 23rd and Perth 31st. READ MORE Dublin's placement, knocking on the door of the top 10, was driven by strong scores for environmental friendliness (14th) and human capital (17th), based on a score of 'high-quality universities' such as Trinity College Dublin. With Dublin's economics score being artificially inflated by having the fifth-highest GDP per person in the 1,000 cities, the city's overall position would doubtless be lower were it not for the convenient location of the European headquarters of many United States firms. Still, we have the third-fastest employment growth forecast in western Europe, which puts weight behind the prior 'flawed measure'. Dublin's ranking was boosted by the country's 'stable political democracy', despite a business environment thought to be 'average' in comparison to the rest of western Europe – though perhaps not average when it comes to taxation. 'On the other hand', after pouring praise upon the city, the report goes on to explain that there are actually some negatives to living in Dublin and, yes, you've guessed it, the major is being one of the most expensive cities in Europe for housing. In Ireland's 'sustainable city', one is left wondering if its housing situation is capable of being anything other than a spur for emigration.
