The Dublin Docklands – Katie McKay

As the Dubs would say “What’s the craic?”

As I went abroad for my last two blog entries, I decided to stay a bit closer to home for my last blog post; I decided to stay in my hometown of Dublin, so I have not venture too far at all for this blog entry. I will use my own photos which were taken in November 2014 to examine the regeneration which has occurred in the Docklands in Dublin City.

Katie McKay | 112417258

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Image 1.1: Grand Canal Docks sign.

Dublin which is situated on the east coast of Ireland is the capital of the Republic of Ireland and it is Ireland’s largest city (visitdublin.com). For more than two hundred years, the Docklands area was dominated by working class people because of the thriving port and the employment that it provided. As a consequence of containerization in the late twentieth century employment in port-handling activities declined dramatically and a number of traditional industries (for example warehouses and flour mills) in the area were also forced to close (Dublin Docklands Development Authority Community Liaison Committee, n.d., pp.2-3).

As Dublin entered its post-industrial period, the waterfront became the focal point of urban renewal and regeneration (Davidson, 2009, p.217). Due to the central location of the Docklands and the potential which the area had, a renewal and redevelopment plan for the area was put in place by the Government. The Dublin Docklands Area Master Plan was put in place by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority in 1997 and this plan was amended in 2003 and again in 2008 (www.ddda.ie; Haase, 2009, p.6).

Office Space:

Image 1.2: Office Space in Spencer Dock – on the left of this photo is office space which is currently in use and on the right of this image is brand new office space which has just been built.

Prior to the office development boom, it took three decades to develop over one million square meters of office space. The office development boom which was generated by over a decade of economic growth after 1990 was the most intensive which the city had ever seen, with an additional 1.3 million square meters of office space being built (Haase, 2009, p.6).

Residential Areas:

Image 1.3: Apartments located in Mayor Square.

The development of private sector apartments in the inner city transformed Dublin’s residential environment. The establishment of the 1992 Finance Act encouraged investors to invest in the rented residential sector in areas which were designated under the Urban Renewal Scheme as they received tax relief for doing so – this tax relief for investors was linked to Urban Renewal Initiatives. Between 1996 and 2003, 8,800 residential units were built in Dublin’s inner city (Haase, 2009, pp.6-7). 

Leisure Pursuits:

Image 1.4: The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre which is located in the Grand Canal Dock Area opened in March 2010. It would not have been feasible to build this theatre without the support of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority.

The concept of the development of a theatre in the Docklands area emerged in 1992 as the 3Arena was constantly being asked to stage Operas, Ballets, Musicals and Dramas, however there was only a certain amount of weeks in a year when theatre productions could be staged in the 3Arena. In 2001, the concept of a theatre in the Docklands area became a reality during discussions with the Chief Executive Officer and the Property Director of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority wanted an iconic building to be built at Grand Canal Square in the Docklands. Since the opening of The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in 2010, the theatre has entertained half a million people every year (www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie). 

Image 1.5: Waterskiing in the Grand Canal Basin.

Watersports have been offered in the Grand Canal Basin for over twenty years by Surfdock. Surfdock started as a small windsurfing school in the Grand Canal Basin in 1992 and now offers a wide range of watersport activities in the Grand Canal Basin. Since the beginning of the regeneration of the Docklands in 1997, Surfdock has grown a lot in terms of the activities which they offer. In 1992, windsurfing was the only watersport activity offered by Surfdock in the Grand Canal Basin, however today one can do kayaking, stand up paddleboarding and wakeboarding to name just a few (www.surfdock.ie).

I’ll sum up this blog entry with the following quote:

“Medieval, Georgian and modern architecture provide a backdrop to a friendly bustling port where the cosmopolitan and charming meet in a delightful diversity that is Dublin.” – VisitDublin.com

That concludes this week’s blog entry and my final entry in this series of blogs.

As we say in Dublin; I’ll love ya and leave ya,

Katie M

Bibliography:

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. (2013) Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Available at: http://www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie/ [Accessed 23 November 2014].

Davidson, M. (2009) ‘Waterfront Development’ in R Kitchen and N Thrift (eds), International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, Elsevier Ltd., Australia, pp.215-221.

Dublin Docklands Development Authority. (2002) Dublin Docklands Development Authority. Available at: http://www.ddda.ie/enjoydocklands [Accessed 27 November 2014]. 

Dublin Docklands Development Authority Community Liaison Committee. (n.d.) Report of 15 year of Community Gain obtained through the CLC influence on Docklands Development. Dublin: Dublin Docklands Development Authority. Available at: https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oireachtas.ie%2Fparliament%2Fmedia%2Fcommittees%2Fenvironmenttransportcultureandthegaeltacht%2FDub-Docks-Community-Liaison-Comm-Subm.doc&ei=xKlwVNSDC4HtaPqLgogG&usg=AFQjCNF5KAltBruXrxOtDYN2ZZZG1WEJsQ&bvm=bv.80185997,d.cWc&cad=rja [Accessed 22 November 2014].

Haase, T. (2009) The Changing Face of Dublin’s Inner City. Available at: http://trutzhaase.eu/wp/wp-content/uploads/R_2009_Divided-City.pdf  [Accessed 22 November 2014].

Surfdock Watersports Specialists. (2014) Surfdock. Available at: http://www.surfdock.ie/ [Accessed 23 November 2014].

Visit Dublin. (2014) Visit Dublin. Available at: http://www.visitdublin.com/ [Accessed 22 November 2014].

Urban Transformation in Pittsburgh – Katie McKay

Hello and Welcome

For this week’s blog I plan to create a photo post (of sorts) on a process which characterized cities during both the nineteenth and twentieth century.

*Drum roll*

I will be examining the theme of cinema-going in the twentieth century, with a particular emphasis on the city of Pittsburgh which is located in the southwest of Pennsylvania. (CityTownInfo, 2014).

Katie McKay | 112417258

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To start us off, the establishment of the cinema was an urban phenomenon. The cinema served as a multi-functional monument within society at the time; it became part of the landscape of the city. It provided a place of relaxation for all classes; ranging from labourers to the women of the house. While also serving as a learning medium for immigrants (Charney & Schwartz, 1995, p.5). It became a practice of modernity, an enhancer of your status and created a medium for forward thinking.

Image 1.1: The Opening of the Oaks Theater in 1938. 1938; Oakmont Carnegie Library Archives; Source here.

In the words of Susan Sontag “a society becomes “modern” when one of its chief activities is producing and consuming images” (1977).

The opening of a cinema was a symbol that modernity had met the city and the above image (see image 1.1) illustrates the modernization which took place in Pittsburgh during the twentieth century (Linehan, 2014).

Image 1.2: Marquee of the Oaks Theater. 1945; Oaks Theater Image Collection; Source here.

Similarly, the dynamics of the cinema followed that of the original exhibition buildings, i.e. the culture of the threshold door disappeared as everyone was welcomed to come to the cinema, a place where class and status remained firmly at the door. The disappearance of the threshold door can be seen in the image above (image 1.2), there is no step that one has to take to enter the Oaks Theater, this symbolizes that this venue was not just a place where the middle and upper classes could go but a place where the working class were welcome too (Linehan, 2014). 

Image 1.3: School Children Outside of the Oaks Theater in 1949; Oaks Theater Image Collection; Source here.  This image illustrates the importance of the cinema in the education system as it shows a group of school children on a trip to the cinema.

In the twentieth century, the cinema was a very important social space, with film seen as a very powerful educational tool (Swain, 2013: Linehan, 2014). The above image (see image 1.3) illustrates the importance of film in education, film was seen as a learning medium for children as it taught them both how to behave and be civil in society and of the lands of far away places. (Linehan, 2014).

Image 1.4: The Audience at the Oaks Theater.  This image depicts the excitement and popularity of the opening of the cinema here in Pittsburgh, created in people’s lives. The room is filled with people of all ages both young and old showing the diversity and acceptance these picture houses created.  November 18, 1938; Oaks Theater Image Collection; Source here.

Before the establishment of the cinema, people often felt trapped in the world they lived in. The cinema brought with it a sense of freedom for people – an escape from the world which they lived in (Linehan, 2014). The cinema brought pleasure to people’s lives, the happiness which it brought can be seen in the image above; see Image 1.4 (Mulvey, 1975). This image is from the opening night at the Oaks Theater and the excitement which the opening of a cinema in Pittsburgh created can be seen through the smiles on the audience’s faces.

Image 1.5: Opening Night at the Oaks Theater November 18th 1938; this image shows the lavish interior design of the Oaks Theater; art deco style flooring, advertisements illuminated on the walls. Oaks Theater Image Collection; Source here.

The final image captures the modernity which greeted people when they walked through the doors of the Oaks Theater in Pittsburgh. The cinemas and picture houses of the 19th and 20th century were palaces for the everyday man and women and a home of excitement and wonderment. The lasting effect of the cinema has survived all the way through to the 21st century; for us they are still places of action, romance and wonderment just like they were for the viewers at the Oaks Theater in Pittsburgh.

I hope you have enjoyed this week’s blog post.

Until next time, 

Katie M

Bibliography:

Charney, L. and Schwartz, V.R. (Eds). (1995) Cinema and the Invention of Modern Life. California: University of California Press.

CityTownInfo, (2014) CityTownInfo. Available at: http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/pennsylvania/pittsburgh [Accessed 6 November 2014]

Linehan, D. (2014) ‘The Apparatus of Desire: Cinema, Social Space and the Human Geographies of Modernity’. GG3043: Historical Geographies of the City. University College Cork. 6 November. 

Mulvey, L. (1975) Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Available at: http://imlportfolio.usc.edu/ctcs505/mulveyVisualPleasureNarrativeCinema.pdf [Accessed 7 November 2014]

Oakmont Carnegie Library Archives. (1938) The Opening of The Oaks Theater. Available at: http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?rgn1=ic_all;xc=1;g=imls;sort=dc_da;q1=cinema;size=20;c=hpicasc;c=hpicchatham;c=hpiccma;c=hpiccmnh;c=hpichswp;c=hpicmonroeville;c=hpicnpl;c=hpicoakmont;c=hpicphlf;c=hpicpitcairn;c=hpicpointpark;c=hpicpso;c=hpicrsc;c=hpicusc;back=back1415296131;subview=detail;resnum=2;view=entry;lastview=thumbnail;cc=hpicoakmont;entryid=x-20100512-ocl-0892;viewid=20100512-OCL-0892ED.TIF [Accessed 4 November 2014]

Oaks Theater Image Collection. (1938) The Audience at the Oaks Theater. Available at: http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?rgn1=ic_all;xc=1;g=imls;sort=dc_da;q1=cinema;size=20;c=hpicasc;c=hpicchatham;c=hpiccma;c=hpiccmnh;c=hpichswp;c=hpicmonroeville;c=hpicnpl;c=hpicoakmont;c=hpicphlf;c=hpicpitcairn;c=hpicpointpark;c=hpicpso;c=hpicrsc;c=hpicusc;back=back1415296131;subview=detail;resnum=4;view=entry;lastview=thumbnail;cc=hpicoakmont;entryid=x-20091215-ocl-0178;viewid=20091215-OCL-0178ED.TIF [Accessed 4 November 2014]

Oaks Theater Image Collection. (1938) Opening Night at the Oaks Theater. Available at: http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?rgn1=ic_all;xc=1;g=imls;sort=dc_da;q1=cinema;size=20;c=hpicasc;c=hpicchatham;c=hpiccma;c=hpiccmnh;c=hpichswp;c=hpicmonroeville;c=hpicnpl;c=hpicoakmont;c=hpicphlf;c=hpicpitcairn;c=hpicpointpark;c=hpicpso;c=hpicrsc;c=hpicusc;back=back1415296131;subview=detail;resnum=3;view=entry;lastview=thumbnail;cc=hpicoakmont;entryid=x-20091215-ocl-0177;viewid=20091215-OCL-0177ED.TIF [Accessed 4 November 2014]

Oaks Theater Image Collection. (1945) Marquee of the Oaks Theater. Available at: http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?rgn1=ic_all;xc=1;g=imls;sort=dc_da;q1=cinema;size=20;c=hpicasc;c=hpicchatham;c=hpiccma;c=hpiccmnh;c=hpichswp;c=hpicmonroeville;c=hpicnpl;c=hpicoakmont;c=hpicphlf;c=hpicpitcairn;c=hpicpointpark;c=hpicpso;c=hpicrsc;c=hpicusc;back=back1415385643;subview=detail;resnum=7;view=entry;lastview=thumbnail;cc=hpicoakmont;entryid=x-20091215-ocl-0181;viewid=20091215-OCL-0181ED.TIF [Accessed 7 November 2014]

Oaks Theater Image Collection. (1949) Schoolchildren Outside of the Oaks Theater. Available at: http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?rgn1=ic_all;xc=1;g=imls;sort=dc_da;q1=cinema;size=20;c=hpicasc;c=hpicchatham;c=hpiccma;c=hpiccmnh;c=hpichswp;c=hpicmonroeville;c=hpicnpl;c=hpicoakmont;c=hpicphlf;c=hpicpitcairn;c=hpicpointpark;c=hpicpso;c=hpicrsc;c=hpicusc;back=back1415296131;subview=detail;resnum=8;view=entry;lastview=thumbnail;cc=hpicoakmont;entryid=x-20091215-ocl-0180;viewid=20091215-OCL-0180ED.TIF [Accessed 4 November 2014]

Sontag, S. (1977) ‘Photography Unlimited’, The New York Review of Books, 23 June. Available at http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1977/jun/23/photography-unlimited/ [Accessed 6 November 2014]

Swain, H. (2013) ‘Film can have a leading role in education’, The Guardian, 19 November. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2013/nov/19/film-education-learning-tool-inclusion [Accessed 7 November 2014]