News
CfIT project wins International Awards
Ripple became the 1st Irish project to receive a New European Bauhaus Award in the Reconnecting with Nature Champion Category. Ripple was led by Orla Murphy, Dr Sarah Coterrill, Dr Philip Crowe and Rebecca O’Malley from CfIT, Cllr Mark Duffy and Kevin Loftus of Ballina Greenest Town and artist Ríonach Ní Néill. Most importantly the success of Ripple is down to the hard work and energy of the community in Greenhills, Ballina who imagined, co-designed and care for the climate-, water-, and nature-friendly Paradise Garden. For more info about the project click (opens in a new window)here.
New research project
CfIT is starting an exciting new research/innovation project and will be looking for an experienced researcher with an interest/background in any of the following - vacancy, dereliction, Irish towns, reuse, GIS and data protection. Please send an email to (opens in a new window)cfit@ucd.ie for more details.
CfIT is delighted to be part of the PROBONO project! PROBONO is a 47-partner, EU Horizon 2020 Green Deal Innovation Action project under the topic LC-GD-4-1-2020: Building and renovating in an energy and resource-efficient way. The project will focus on 2 large-scale Living Labs in urban areas of Madrid and Dun Laoghaire, and 4 smaller Living Labs in Porto, Brussels, Aarhus and Prague. The 6 urban areas will make the transition to Green Building Neighbourhoods (GBN) that support a network of positive-energy and zero-carbon buildings. The project will explore both technical and social aspects of this transition, with a focus on building infrastructure, digital/smart technologies (including Digital Twins), citizen participation and co-design. This project is led by CfIT member Oliver Kinnane and CfIT Co-Director Philip Crowe.
Additionally, the PROBONO project has been thrilled to have students from the M.Sc Architecture, Urbanism, and Climate Action (MAUCA) program as research assistants for the Summer 2022 trimester. A special thanks from CfIT to the students on the PROBONO project: Bernadett Császár, Maëlle Grillet, Eward Kayombo, and Dennis Mathew
Our Newest PH.D. Project!
We are thrilled to announce that Stephen Wall, a member of the UCD CfIT research team, has been awarded an Environmental Protection Agency Postgraduate Scholarship by the Irish Research Council. This project will build on the existing connection between UCD CfIT and the New European Bauhaus. The project will be titled 'Exploring the potential of the New European Bauhaus to promote a just low carbon transition as a desirable goal in Irish towns.' Stephen will commence work on this project in September of 2022.
Introducing: CfIT Summer 2022 Research Assistants
Whether they are supporting The Ripple project, updating the website, or creating ideas for resilient towns around the world, CfIT's four research assistants are hard at work this summer! We look forward to sharing their final theses and projects with you.
A special thanks from CfIT to the M.Sc Architecture, Urbanism, and Climate Action (MAUCA) students who have undertaken their Linked Research Project with the Centre: Loay Dieck, Mary Sharon Michael Raj, Erin Ruszkowski, and Khiusha Uaila.
Talking Towns recordings
Recordings of our Talking Towns seminar series are now available on our (opens in a new window)CfIT YouTube channel. The series will resume in the Autumn.
Recordings available from Nations of Towns event held in November
This two day event was held on 25th and 26th November and included presentations from Iain Scott and Orla Murphy on the policy context in both Ireland and Scotland, presentations on the Coastal Communities Adapting Together (CCAT) project by Philip Crowe and on the Mobility, Mood and Place project by Iain Scott, and a presentation on research funding by Caitriona Devery. Recordings can be viewed on the (opens in a new window)CfIT YouTube channel.
Autumn trimester dates in new 'Talking Towns' seminar series
The centre's new seminar series Talking Towns aims to spark conversations about the challenges facing Irish towns, the opportunities they offer, and the role of research and policy in bringing about the revitalisation of towns in Ireland. Details of the Autumn trimester topics and speakers are now on our page.
Nations of Towns - webinar on 25th & 26th Nov.
CfIT and The University of Edinburgh's Futures Institute have formed a collaboration, Nations of Towns, to work on shared challenges in relation to towns in Scotland and Ireland. A joint webinar was held in March 2021, involving academics and researchers from both institutions along with important figures from design practice and local government in both nations. A short film of the event along with recordings of the six invited talks can be viewed (opens in a new window)here. Nations of Towns is now holding a second event on the mornings of the 25th & 26th of November 2021 and further details are here.
CfIT approved by UCD Academic Council
The UCD Centre for Irish Towns (CfIT) was approved as a centre for research and training by the UCD Academic Council in April 2021. CfIT brings together researchers and stakeholders from across the island of Ireland to support the revitalisation of Irish towns.
CfIT soft launch and first Talking Towns seminar recordings available
The centre hosted a short 'soft launch' event followed by first in the Talking Towns seminar series (with Orla Murphy, Gary Hamilton and Karen Keaveney) on 17 June 2021. Recordings are now available on our (opens in a new window)YouTube channel.
New European Bauhaus
Co-Director Orla Murphy has been selected as a member of the High-Level Roundtable and community ambassador of the New European Bauhaus.
Nations of Towns
A short video recording of our recent joint webinar to initiate our collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, entitled Nations of Towns, is available (opens in a new window)here
Events
Autumn trimester dates in new 'Talking Towns' seminar series
The centre's new seminar series Talking Towns aims to spark conversations about the challenges facing Irish towns, the opportunities they offer, and the role of research and policy in bringing about the revitalisation of towns in Ireland. Details of the Autumn trimester topics and speakers are now on our Talking Towns page.
Nations of Towns webinar - 25th & 26th Nov. 2021
CfIT and The University of Edinburgh's Futures Institute have formed a collaboration, Nations of Towns, to work on shared challenges in relation to towns in Scotland and Ireland. A joint webinar was held in March 2021, involving academics and researchers from both institutions along with important figures from design practice and local government in both nations. A short film of the event along with recordings of the six invited talks can be viewed (opens in a new window)here. Nations of Towns is now holding a second event on the mornings of the 25th & 26th of November 2021 and further details are here.