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Awareness & Engagement

Based upon our research & insights, the work that we are delivering within the Ballymun community focuses upon three thematic areas:-

Assets and Space – Activating Vacant and Unused spaces: Post regeneration Ballymun has a number of commercial and retail spaces that are vacant or underused. The recent economic crisis has meant that plans have shifted and changed where the built environment in Ballymun is concerned. The death of the high street is an indication that we need to reconsider how we use, manage and allocate space. At the same time local authority and public funds have been reduced, meaning that numerous community organisations and others are struggling to raise budgets and find spaces for their services. We are working with stakeholders across a variety of areas to understand the policy context and opportunities.

Go to our events page to have a look at the photos from our Activating Vacant Space workshop run with Reusing Dublin, Voidstarter, Turus and Connecting the Dots.

Participation in the Design of Local Services – Driving increased engagement and participation in service design, delivery and co-production: Many organisations find it difficult to engage beyond the usual suspects, attract certain marginalised groups, and get stakeholders involved in service delivery.  Opportunities for work can be thin on the ground in Ballymun, and many community organisations would like to see the local community skilled in delivery their services, which can also boost communication wider.  Through introducing a participatory dialogue around participation and service design we want to grow a deeper sense of place among residents and organisation in Ballymun and surrounding communities. We are looking at other models of co-production and spin-out services, and how events and engagement can connect stakeholders around a more resilient network for change.

Testing and Making – Developing Ballymun as a test base for innovative new products and services: The recent regeneration has meant Ballymun has a state-of-the-art built environment, with an intricate set of housing typologies, spaces and public realm. Dublin City Council are confident that Dublin can become a global leader around smart cities and the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, with a host of leading technology providers and companies setting up innovation centres across the capital. Ballymun is perfectly suited to become a test bed for these new products and services, which can be prototyped and trialled with an engaged and responsive local community. Equipping the community with the skills to take advantage of this test base would provide locals with skills and ultimately foster a culture of micro-enterprise and employment in Ballymun. We are working with industry leaders, alongside public sector champions to make this a reality.