#6 - Jude Sherry and dr. Frank O'Connor, #DerelictIreland: on Dereliction in Ireland, why it matters & how to solve it

The Aesthetic City

Ireland faces a horrendous housing shortage and a lack of commercial real estate accessible to smaller entrepreneurs, as well as a homelessness problem. Yet, an astounding quantity of real estate, often consisting of beautiful, incredibly valuable heritage, is rotting away, sometimes even on purpose. Thus, entire historical districts of Irelands' cities are at risk of getting demolished, permanently erasing quality urban fabric and Ireland's very own history. Why is this being allowed to happen?

Jude Sherry and dr. Frank O'Connor from anois agency (meaning 'now' in Irish), found themselves as a voice in the wilderness when they tried to address this sizeable problem. With the #derelictIreland hashtag they found an effective rallying cry however, which has lead to increasing media attention all around Ireland.

In this episode, they tell all about the nature of the dereliction problem, why it is so incredibly damaging and wasteful, and discuss ways how it could be tackled.

About Jude Sherry & dr. Frank O'Connor: Jude Sherry is has extensive experience in sustainable design and has recently been awarded the Irish Tatler ‘Woman of the Year’ award. Dr. Frank O'Connor is a global expert and thought leader in sustainable design, first calling for a circular economy back in 1989 and has since worked around the globe.

Find their agency on http://www.anois.org/ and read more on #derelictIreland by following https://twitter.com/frank_oconnor or by following the hashtag. It is time Ireland starts to value their heritage and make #derelictIreland a thing of the past!