Cork hosts docklands tour to showcasenature-based solutions

Cork City Council hosted a nature-based solutions (NbS) docklands tour and collaborative workshop for representatives from Cork and Dublin city councils this week to show how Ireland’s cities can grow in ways that work with nature, not against it.

David Joyce, director of emergency services and climate action at Cork City Council, opened the event by saying as cities grow, smarter ways of designing them are needed.

“Nature-based solutions allow us to manage water, reduce flood risk and create better public spaces, all in one integrated approach. What we are integrating in Cork’s docklands shows how this thinking can be embedded from the very beginning of a major development,” he said.

The day began with a cycle tour of the Cork docklands, one of the largest urban regeneration projects currently underway in Ireland. The docklands, which spans 147 hectares on both sides of the river Lee, is being transformed into a new city quarter with homes, jobs, parks and sustainable transport links.

NATURE-BASED

Participants explored how nature-based features are being built into the redevelopment, including rain gardens, permeable paving, tree planting and sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), all designed to slow and absorb rainfall before it reaches underground pipes, reducing flood risk while creating greener, more attractive streets and public spaces.

In a city shaped by water, managing surface water is essential. By planning for this from the outset, Cork is ensuring that climate resilience forms part of the foundation of future growth.

Representatives from housing, water, transport, planning and climate services examined how projects can take a whole-systems approach, linking water management, biodiversity, housing delivery and public realm design from the very beginning of development.

Roy O’Connor, senior engineer with Dublin City Council’s protection of waterbodies office, emphasised the importance of collaboration, saying that Dublin and Cork are working closely together to align their thinking and delivery models.