You might recall the rather dramatic collapse of the local area action plan for Phibsboro some months ago? Well, a gang of local residents, alongside some architects and planners came together to lead an alternative initiative to develop a vision for the village.

They published an articulation  for how the village could be improved over the weekend. Here’s what they had to say:

“Drawing from examples in communities in Ireland and Europe-wide, and tailored to our specific needs, a vision emerged that: -places pedestrians and cyclists back in the picture; -creates public spaces where social and business life can co-exist in a lively and modern setting -shows the potential for a functioning commercial centre at our dilapidated shopping centre, and its potential relationship to Bohemian Football Club Dalymount Park -addresses the unsightly issue of the Phibsborough Tower and produces a realistic – and greatly improved – vision for change -considers our relationship to Grangegorman campus, and our growing residential population -connects our green spaces and revitalises underused lanes and vacant spaces -includes children’s needs and those of the elderly population -recognises that as a community, Phibsborough – having the lowest percentage of car ownership in Ireland – is an unusually sustainable one, and should be rewarded as such with proper cycling and pedestrian infrastructures -puts in place appropriate traffic-calming measures and village ‘gateways’ to create an appropriate environment which balances the needs of traffic to those of people -addresses the dangerous pedestrian issue arising from the narrow path and busy traffic at Cross Guns Bridge.”

Head over to their Facebook page and add your tuppence’s worth.