Ireland’s suburbs, as charted in this week’s series in The Irish Times, offer a portrait of a country in motion. The shape of suburbia is also shifting, driven by rapid population growth, economic strain and uneven investment. Within the new suburbs themselves, residents report thinly stretched services and limited civic amenities. What is dispiriting is that the same mistakes are being made despite repeated commitments to best planning practice. History suggests that residents of these new suburbs will build strong communities regardless; previous generations showed the same resilience.

Source: The Irish Times November 20, 2025 05:32 UTC