Our Cities: Drivers of National Competitiveness

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Our Cities Drivers of National Competitiveness
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Contents

• Context
• Why are Cities Important?
• What makes Cities Competitive and Where do Irish
  Cities Stand?
• How can we use our Cities to Promote National
  Competitiveness and Living Standards?

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Role of the National Competitiveness Council

• Benchmarking Irelands Performance

• Irelands Competitiveness Challenge

• Statement on Education Training

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Challenge - to ensure that we are sufficiently
competitive to enable a transition back to Export
Led Growth
Contribution of Net Exports to Irish Economic
Growth, 2001-2008
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Source CSO
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There is no return to domestic led growthOur
debt burden grew quickly and we are now highly
indebted
Household Borrowing per Capita, 2008
Household Borrowing per Capita, 2008
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Source ECB
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Why are the NCC commenting on the Role of Cities?

• Cities play an increasingly crucial role in
  enhancing competitiveness in modern
  knowledge-based economies. As people become more
  mobile and firms more selective about where they
  locate, competitive cities have emerged as
  magnets for talent and investment.

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A Challenging Landscape

• Cities play an increasingly crucial role in
  national competitiveness and living standards.
  Irish cities are small and peripheral in a
  European and global context.
• We have a sense of ambivalence about the central
  role our cities play in supporting national
  economic growth and standards of living.
• Analysing competitiveness through an urban lens
  should not be interpreted as an effort to promote
  inter-city or urban-rural competition.
• The core objective of the recommendations in this
  report is to enable Irish cities to achieve their
  full potential and thereby enhance national
  competitiveness.

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Why Cities are Important

• Cities are growing rapidly
• For the first time, half the worlds population
  live in cities
• Cities of less than 500,000 are growing fastest
• In Ireland, populations within city boundaries
  are falling while commuter belts have exploded
• Drivers of National Growth successful countries
  must have successful cities
• 66 out of 78 OECD cities have a higher GDP per
  capita than the national average
• Dublin ranks as the second smallest city in an
  OECD study of 78 Cities

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Relative Size of Irish Cities
Ranking of OECD Cities by Population
Cork, Limerick, Galway
Dublin
Source OECD 2006, CSO 2006
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Why Cities are Important

• Cities also drive their Regions
• Create employment, provide national /
  international connectivity and access to services
• Diversity of cities creates opportunities and
  challenges
• Urban paradox - a clustering of wealth and
  economic activity alongside relatively high
  levels of social exclusion - cities concentrate
  both jobs and the jobless.
• Social exclusion and crime
• Governance is complex
• Few cities have developed neatly within the
  borders of a single governing local authority. In
  general, cities are spread across a number of
  different administrative areas.
• Emergence of Global and International Cities

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What makes Cities Competitive and Where do Irish
Cities Stand?
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Enterprising Cities
Agency Employment in Selected Sectors of the
Economy at County Level, 2007

• Manage balance between sectoral specialisation
  and diversity
• Build innovation networks
• Develop high skilled citizens
• Attract highly skilled migrants
• Have competitive costs (business and living)

Source Forfás, 2008
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Enterprising Cities

• Manage balance between sectoral specialisation
  and diversity
• Build innovation networks
• Develop high skilled citizens
• Attract highly skilled migrants
• Have competitive costs (business and living)

Cost of Office Rental per Meter Squared, 2008
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Connected Cities

• Develop adequate international access (sea and
  air) for movement of goods and people
• Develop adequate national connectivity
• Develop efficient urban transport and minimum
  congestion
• Develop high quality telecommunications
  infrastructure

Annual Air Passenger Traffic in Major Cities,
2008
Source Airports Council International, 2006
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Connected Cities

• Develop adequate international access (sea and
  air) for movement of goods and people
• Develop adequate national connectivity
• Develop efficient urban transport and minimum
  congestion
• Develop high quality telecommunications
  infrastructure

Average Peak Hour Speeds in Major Cities (Km per
Hour), 2002
Source Urban Benchmarking Initiative,2002
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Connected Cities

• Develop adequate international access (sea and
  air) for movement of goods and people
• Develop adequate national connectivity
• Develop efficient urban transport and minimum
  congestion
• Develop high quality telecommunications
  infrastructure-speeds in Amsterdam, Paris et al
  of 100Mbs - 24Mbs top speed offering in Dublin
  and limited parts of our other cities

Readiness to Support Next Generation Broadband
Services, 2008
Source Said Business School, University of Oxford
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Sustainable Cities
Percentage of Workers in Each Electoral Division
Travelling 30Kms or More to Work 2006

• Implement effective land use policy to coordinate
  efficient infrastructure, enterprise, civic and
  community development
• Support high density developments
• Transport Sustainability
• Environmental Sustainability

Source NIRSA / Ordnance Survey Ireland
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Attractive and Inclusive Cities
Percentage of Foreign Nationals Resident

• Tackle social exclusion
• Promote diversity and creativity in their
  citizens, enterprises and institutions
• Have higher quality of life performance
• Have a strong and positive urban brand,
  recognised internationally

Source Eurostat -Urban Audit / CSO
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How can we use our Cities to Promote National
Competitiveness and Living Standards?

• Prioritise Investment in Cities
• Promote Dublin as a Key Driver of National
  Competitiveness
• Target Investment to develop Key Regional Cities
• Enhance inter-urban links
• Enhancement of City Governance
• Urban Entrepreneurialism
• City Leadership
• Efficient and Coordinated Governance
• Sustainable Finance

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Recommendations

• Deliver Key Urban Infrastructure priorities
• External Access
• Inter-urban routes
• Telecommunications
• Improve Urban Land Use and Planning Policy
• Support higher residential density
• Integrate land use planning with transport policy

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Recommendations

• Enhance Social Cohesion
• Support for soft infrastructure and urban
  regeneration projects
• Build a City Image
• Develop unified brand
• Develop a Better Understanding of Our Cities
  Performance

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Conclusions

• Cities play an increasingly crucial role in
  enhancing competitiveness in modern
  knowledge-based economies.
• We have a sense of ambivalence about the central
  role our cities play.
• Irish cities are small and peripheral in a
  European and global context.
• We should not be complacent about the development
  of Dublin and our other cities as internationally
  competitive locations.
• Investment decisions.
• How we run our cities.

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Thank you

• Adrian.Devitt_at_forfas.ie