Abstract

The main objective of this report is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current situation in order to assist Fingal County Development Board in the preparation of its strategy for economic, social and cultural development over the next ten years. The city and environs of Dublin now extend over a very extensive area, exceeding the boundaries of the Dublin administrative units. It represents a complex and dynamic functional entity with roles as both the national capital and the principal international gateway for the country. Since the mid 1980s the old county Dublin has been divided into four units for purposes of public administration, within each of which a City/County Development Board was established in 1999. As each Board is required to prepare a strategy for economic, social and cultural development, the approach adopted here is to provide an analysis that takes account of the wider context while also providing detailed small area analysis for the wards/DEDs of the CDB area.