About 90 per cent of the population of the island of Ireland will be living in eight city regions by the 2030s, according to a new report published today.
The report, Infrastructure for an Island Population of Eight Million, argues that steps must be taken to ensure that spending on infrastructure should focus on the city regions that will house the majority of the country's people.
It examines the infrastructural requirements of the eight city regions in relation to transport, energy, water, waste, climate change, information technology, enterprise, engineering for health, and to the opportunities for integration of infrastructure development with a view to less cost and higher efficiency.
The eight city regions are Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Sligo, Belfast and Derry.
Jointly prepared by Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering and commissioned by InterTradeIreland, the study forecasts that the island's population will reach 8 million by the 2020s, compared with 6.25 million today.
Echoing a recent report from Davy's which claimed that Ireland “largely wasted” its years of high income during the boom by failing to invest in "unproductive assets" such as housing, the study states that the island of Ireland’s current infrastructure is well below the standard of its international competitors.
The report suggests that there is a need to catch up with other regions in order to boost competitiveness and attract foreign direct investment in the years ahead.
“It is clear that there is still an acute infrastructure deficit in Ireland but this study provides a framework that can help the Government to direct funds to where maximum return on investment will be provided," said the director general of Engineers Ireland John Power.
According to the study, by the 2030s the greatest density of population will be on the Dublin-Belfast corridor which will have a population of 4 million people, which will leave the region comparable to other parts of Europe.
However, the report's authors say that in order to achieve the benefits of comparable economies of scale, and to increase substantially its attractiveness for inward investment the corridor will need strong interconnectivity through fast and efficient transport services including top class air connectivity and access to ports.
It adds that there must be efforts to foster closer links links between businesses and also between universities and industry.
A South West corridor, with lower population density and a combined population of about 2 million linking the cities of Cork, Limerick and Galway, will have similar advantages and requirements in the years ahead and a leadership role in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, biomedical, and agriculture, according to the report.
The study states the continuation of increasing urbanisation and higher density of population in cities will allow the delivery of first class infrastructure making the best use of scarce economic resources and allow for the delivery of better transport, health, education, broadband and cleaner energy and allow for social connectedness and sustainable living.
However, it cautions that high quality connectivity will be required both within and between the eight city regions.
