Mapping Green Dublin is a collaborative action research project led by UCD’s School of Geography in collaboration with arts organisation Common Ground, artist Seoidín O’Sullivan and event facilitators Connect the Dots.
Although focused on a particular community, in Dublin 8, it aims to recognise and draw attention to the value of lived experiences in developing community greening plans more generally. Listen to our researcher, Dr Alma Clavin, who explains the project in this short video.
Our project responds to recent research by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Health Service Executive (HSE) that has highlighted the importance of green space and urban greening on health and wellbeing. Increased interaction with greenspace leads to more positive health outcomes but greening strategies must be fit-for-purpose. Place matters!
We propose a place-based approach to green strategy-making that draws on and responds to community concerns and aspirations, and then engages with policymakers to explore how community visions can inform and be supported by more formal policies and plans.
The Mapping Green Dublin team worked with non-academic partners, local residents and other stakeholders to identify their greening needs and co-create a community greening strategy. Explore our website to learn more about the phases involved in developing the strategy – tree mapping, community mapping and co-creation, and action. Please feel free to use the resources that we have developed if you wish to engage your neighbourhood in community greening.