UCD_BC_Cover Story 12-15.qxd 25/8/08 16:40 Page 10
COVER STORY
‘If Ireland is ever going to have a truly
competitive city region, it will be Dublin’
CAPITAL IDEAS
Alumnus of the Year Gina Quin (BA 80, MBA 88), CEO of Dublin Chamber of Commerce, makes no
apologies for her view that Dublin must be the focus for Ireland’s future economic development
T seems apt that a born and bred Dubliner, and self-avowed has been significant progress made in some areas, and more planned
I
lover of the city, should lead the capital’s leading business and in others. But it is crucial, particularly in the current climate when gov-
lobbyist group, with its 1,400-plus strong membership. And ernment revenue may be slowing down, that there isn’t any diminution
it is a role that Gina Quin carries out with characteristic in the focus on addressing the transport infrastructure and delivering
gusto. When she was honoured at the UCD Michael Smurfit Transport 21.
Graduate Business School’s annual dinner in May, she was “Given the importance to us all — as citizens, employers, tourists or
outspoken in her view that Dublin must be the priority when hosts of tourists — of moving around the city, we need to see the com-
looking to invest in Ireland’s economic future. pletion of key networks. This means roads like the M50, the planned
It is a theme she is happy to revisit when we meet. She has little time metro, the joining up and extension of the Luas lines,” she continues.
for the traditional gripes around other regions of the country being However, Quin’s focus is not just on infrastructural investment, but
‘neglected’ and calls for a reality check. “We have to acknowledge that also on good urban planning.
Dublin accounts for at least one third of the population, and almost
half of GDP, so a lot more of the population are drawing on Dublin for Denser Dublin
their welfare. We have to concentrate — and acknowledge that con- “Dublin is one of the most spread-out cities in Europe, and that is not
centration of effort — on the Dublin region, and make it work for the a good thing in terms of our quality of life, commuting times and
whole country. Then the other cities and other regions can work on the living environment. I strongly believe Dublin has to deal with the
back of, and with, Dublin to develop their own specialties and unique whole issue of density, and I’m not just talking about building up. We
niches. But if Ireland is ever going to have a truly competitive city need to follow a much more continental model, where apartments are
region, it will be Dublin.” built to larger sizes to accommodate families, with adequate storage,
docking stations for electric cars, bikes, car-pooling systems and on-
Transport deficit street bicycle facilities.”
At a time when the Government is talking up the need for cuts in cap- Quin says she has been pleased to see some progress being made in
ital spending, Quin and her organisation are lobbying to ensure that this area, with new regulations on minimum apartment size and
vital capital investment in the greater Dublin area is not lost. Dublin City Council’s current consultation paper on intensification of
“It’s no secret that Ireland has had an infrastructure deficit, that as a land use. “I encourage businesses to have a good look at this, and to
21st-century economy we are under-resourced in terms of our trans- provide feedback to the council.”
port infrastructure,” says Quin. “Dublin Airport is one of the only cap- Far from being disheartened by the difficult climate of today, Quin is
ital city airports in Europe that is not served by a rail link to the city excited about Dublin’s future and sees an opportunity in the slowdown.
centre, and we are unusual in not having a metro system. “Dublin has an amazing economic fabric. We have an excellent finan-
“Yes, we have a major project under way to address that, and there cial services centre, and a great professional services centre developing
12 UCD BUSINESS CONNECTIONS
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