Derelict sites sit vacant across Dublin, offering little to the communities around them. Each could be transformed into something useful, whether social housing, a community hub or a green space. This analysis uses GIS to examine one of those options: repurposing derelict sites as green and third spaces for teenagers and to identify where the need is greatest.
A third space is a place to meet and socialise outside the home, school or workplace, and ideally one that does not require people to spend money.
Mallon colleague Muna Satardien undertook the following analysis into Derelict Sites across Dublin.
Derelict Sites Across Dublin
The latest information from the four Dublin local authorities identifies 180 derelict sites in the county. These are Dublin City Council (DCC), South Dublin County Council (SDCC), Fingal County Council (FCC) and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council (DLRCC). Most of the sites are abandoned homes, which could be reacquired and rebuilt to ease some of the pressure of the housing crisis. However, publicly available information on exact numbers and datasets is limited, so this analysis took a different route.
Dublin’s councils are also contending with a rise in antisocial behaviour among young people. This analysis explores whether derelict sites could be repurposed as green or third spaces that provide teenagers with a positive place to spend time. Sites within residential developments were excluded, and not all of the remaining sites were suitable for commercial or recreational reuse. That left 71 candidate sites.
Why Teeneagers?
The analysis focuses on the 0–19 age group, and on teenagers in particular. Public provision for younger children is well established in the form of playgrounds, and social life for adults tends to centre on pubs and bars. Teenagers fall between the two. It is difficult for them to spend time in public for free without being labelled as loiterers or a disturbance, which leaves them largely to fend for themselves. Antisocial behaviour among teenagers has been widely discussed since the pandemic, and giving them a place to go is one practical response.
Public green and third spaces where teenagers can socialise without being expected to spend money can support their social development and strengthen community engagement.
The focus here is on green and open third spaces rather than outdoor sports facilities, which tend to be dominated by young males and can leave girls feeling unwelcome. Neutral spaces such as conversation pits, community gardens, outdoor seating areas, and art walls are encouraged because they are designed for social gathering and conversation.
Mapping the 71 Candidate Sites
Map 1 shows the 71 candidate sites, each with a 1 km buffer. At an average walking pace, 1 km is about a 12–minute walk, in keeping with the 15–minute city concept. Walking distance matters because teenagers may not have access to motor transport. The sites cluster densely in central Dublin and are scattered more thinly across the suburbs and the outer parts of the county.
Where Green Space is Scarce
Checking for existing green space within each buffer shows that roughly a quarter of the sites (18 of 71) have little or no green space within 1 km. These locations point to the communities that would benefit most from a new third space.
Maps 2 to 4 show three examples, ranging from abundant green space in Tallaght–Oldbawn, to limited green space in Edmondstown, to none in Rathcoole.
Who Lives Nearby?
To assess demand for these spaces, population data from Census 2022 were compared across the electoral division (ED) of each example site. Under–20s make up 21.5% of the population in Tallaght–Oldbawn, 25.8% in Edmondstown and 30.6% in Rathcoole. In Edmondstown and Rathcoole, the 0–19 group is the largest age band. In Tallaght–Oldbawn, it is second to the 65–and–over group (23.6%).
Across these three examples, the share of young people rises as the amount of nearby green space falls. Rathcoole combines the highest proportion of under–20s with no green space within walking distance.
Chart 1: Population distribution by age group, ED Tallaght–Oldbawn, ED Edmondstown, ED Rathcoole (Cenus 2022)
Conclusion
This analysis is a first look at what Dublin’s derelict sites could offer. Housing, community hubs and green spaces are all possible uses, and what they share is a benefit to the surrounding community. Turning attention to teenagers, a group often overlooked in public space planning, may also help to address disruptive antisocial behaviour. Three examples are a small sample, and extending the population comparison to all 71 sites would show where the need for third spaces and the lack of green space coincide.
Further Information
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