Since early 2020, COVID-19 has been a major disruptor in all our lives. The global pandemic has dramatically changed the activity patterns of individuals and families, transforming everyday geographies and the scale at which we live our lives. The implications for places and communities are potentially profound. One of the areas where these implications are most clearly seen is the changing relationship between work and home. Development patterns, over recent decades, have generated a growing concentration of employment in core metropolitan areas, which in turn has resulted in greater volumes and distances of commuting, and a steady increase in time spent commuting. Many small towns, particularly those on the peripheries of metropolitan zones, have been notably affected by the rise in long-distance commuting.
With the COVID-19 induced interruption to work patterns, and the enforced switch to home / remote working, we have witnessed a significant reduction in the need to commute to work. While it is still not clear to what extent these disruptions are temporary, permanent or still evolving, a two-year research programme by ICLRD is interrogating the relationships between people and places and exploring the role of commuting in shaping those relationships.
Using a case-study approach, this webinar will explore emerging findings from the ICLRD’s InPLACE: Investigating Place Planning and Commuting study. Focusing on a number of towns across the island of Ireland, this webinar will consider the implications of commuting (pre-COVID) and telecommuting (during COVID) for individuals, their families and communities of place. The study’s findings will have relevance across a wide range of policy domains, many of which are within the remit of local authorities, and all of which directly influence local places, including in respect of health, housing, environment, community development, social policy, transportation and spatial planning.
Speaker Line-Up:
Moderator: Prof. Gerrit Knaap, Professor of Urban Studies and Planning & Executive Director, National Center for Smart Growth Research, University of Maryland
Welcome from ICLRD Chair: Ms. Mary MacIntyre, OBE
The Changing Spatial Relationship Between Home and Workplace – An Evolving Narrative: Prof. Des McCafferty, Senior Research Associate ICLRD & Project Lead, InPLACE: Investigating Place, Planning and Commuting
The Changing Spatial Relationship Between Home and Workplace – An Evolving Narrative: Prof. Des McCafferty, Senior Research Associate ICLRD & Project Lead, InPLACE: Investigating Place, Planning and Commuting
Pivoting towards a better post Covid quality of life Ms. Christine Flood Senior Executive Officer, Economic Development Directorate, Wicklow County Council & Ms Deirdre Whitfield the Community Culture and Social Development Wicklow County Council
Creating Vibrant and Thriving Towns in Commuter Belts: What Role for planning? Learnings from Ennistymon-Lahinch, Co. Clare, Dr. Karen Keaveney, Head of Rural Development and Assistant Professor in the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science & Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe, Director, O’Keeffe and Associates and Senior Research Associate, ICLRD.
Q&A
View the recording here
Speakers
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 Dr Karen Keaveney UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science Karen is Head of Rural Development, and an Assistant Professor in the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science. She is a Geographer and qualified Regional and Urban Planner. Karen has research interests in rural planning and housing, rural development, and agricultural education. She has expertise in local decision-making and governance, rural power relations and socio-economic change in the countryside. Her publications and research include the areas of policy responses to rural change, cross-border and inter-jurisdictional planning, local government reform, and planning on the island of Ireland. |
 Dr Brendan O’Keeffe O’Keeffe & Associates Dr Brendan O’Keeffe is Director of O’Keeffe & Associates and senior Research Associate with ICLRD. He holds a PhD in Geography from Maynooth University and has served as Director of Quality and a Lecturer in Human Geography in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Brendan has contributed to several ICLRD projects, and has been particularly active in examining models and practices in other European countries in respect of cross-border collaboration, governance and local development. Brendan has a strong background as a practitioner in local development and intimate knowledge of LEADER and other area-based initiatives throughout Europe. He is actively involved with several community and voluntary organisations, and is a strong advocate of bottom-up and community-led local development.
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 Professor Des McCafferty Prof. Des McCafferty has recently retired as Head of the Department of Geography in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. His research interests include the structure and development of the Irish urban hierarchy and its role in territorial development; spatial planning; and area-based measures to combat deprivation in both urban and rural settings. He is a past president of the Geographical Society of Ireland, and former chairman of the Irish Branch of the Regional Studies Association. |
 Christine Flood Senior Executive Officer Economic Development Directorate, Wicklow County Council Christine Flood has been an employee of Wicklow County Council for over 35 years. She has held the post of Senior Executive Officer since 2001. During that time she has been assigned to Transportation and Roads, Bray Town Council (as Town Clerk) and Enterprise and Corporate Services. She is currently engaged in delivering Wicklow County Council’s economic development strategy. Christine has extensive experience in the management and development of capital projects and has a particular interest in town centre development, tourism and harbour development. She holds a degree in Financial Information Systems from Trinity College and an MBA from Dublin City University. |
 Deirdre Whitfield Wicklow County Council Deirdre Whitfield works in the Community Culture and Social Development Section of Wicklow County Council. Her work involves a community approach to development and ensuring participation and collaboration between communities and the Local Authority. Deirdre is responsible for the development and implementation of the community element of the Local Economic and Community Plan. The main focus of this work is on the regeneration of towns and villages, promoting strong active citizenship and influencing policy across a wide range of areas. Deirdre holds a degree in Sociology and a Masters in Management and Social Innovation from Dublin City University. |