Dublin needs one single overall authority if it is to maintain its position as one of the world's most successful cities, according to research presented to a recent conference on the city's prospects organised by Jones Lang LaSalle, the international property group.
Based on the ongoing findings of Jones Lang LaSalle's World Winning Cities research programme, the conference in Dublin Castle centred on the theme of whether Dublin had the ingredients for long term success. It was attended by the major players involved in property development and investment as well as representatives of local councils and government agencies.
Jeremy Kelly, one of the authors of the World Winning Cities research, told the attendance that the research programme identified 10 parameters which dictated the success of a city.
These ranged from politics or governance to perceptions and place-making, which created an identity for a city through cultural, sporting or other activities.
Jones Lang LaSalle's research showed that Dublin had been one of the world's five most successful city economies over the past five years. "It has been transformed from what was virtually a collapsed economy in the 1970s and 1980s into an important centre of international significance," said Jeremy Kelly.
The perception of Dublin's success was stronger abroad than at home, with many cities in Eastern Europe, for instance, using it as a model for their own growth plans. However, there were signs that Dublin was slipping.
In 2000, Dublin topped Jones Lang LaSalle's European Regional Economic Growth Index, which scores 90 cities on the basis of their economic potential: it was ahead of Paris and London and the technology hubs of Helsinki, Stockholm and Munich. Last year, however, Dublin had slipped to fourth place in the same index, behind Paris, London and Helsinki and just ahead of Barcelona.
"This is still a highly respectable position but it starts to point to the challenges that Dublin is facing," Mr Kelly said.
Among the issues that he identified as needing consideration was the fact that four local authorities cover the greater Dublin area along with state agencies and the Government itself.
"A unitary authority may help to overcome the city's bureaucratic and planning obstacles, the perceived lack of business orientation, and may also be required to deliver a vision for Dublin," he said.
"Evidence from overseas suggests a greater need for local government to use alternative financing arrangements, including business improvement districts, an idea that has spread from Canada to the US and, more recently, in South Africa and the UK."
Mr Kelly added that a unified Dublin authority could also assist in creating an identity and brand for the city in order to identify the city's character and help its international profile to match its aspirations.
"Dublin scores neither particularly well not particularly poorly in terms of perceptions as a business location. It's certainly not pulling its weight, unlike Barcelona the darling of city strategists worldwide which epitomises the creation of a sense of place through powerful branding combined with regeneration and property redevelopment and renewal."
As well as tackling well-known problems - like transport infrastructure and rising labour costs - Dublin also needed to look to education where the linkages between academia and business were not as developed as they are in other knowledge-rich cities. While Dublin's population growth was a strong positive, the city needed to be prepared and equipped to develop as a truly multi-cultural society like the best international models, such as Toronto and Vancouver.
Mr Kelly said that Dublin had the capability - through its skilled labour force and prestigious universities - to match other technology hubs.
However, there were mixed messages in this area - the initiative to create a Dublin wireless cluster was an encouraging move but the closure of Media Labs Europe was a negative. "There is little evidence of a developing critical mass of indigenous technology firms," he added.
