Practical ideas for a better Dublin
Dublin Real turns lived experience, evidence and public conversation into practical projects people can understand, test and improve.
Housing quest
A carefully governed pilot exploring 10 compact, high-quality homes designed to test viable urban living standards, affordability, and thoughtful design.
Fair management
Plain-English lessons on apartment management, service charges, leases, and transparent decision-making to empower residents and owners.
Health & community
Exploring the vital connection between housing security, personal recovery, mental health, and cultivating a durable sense of local belonging.
Dublin ideas lab
Proposals, local voices, and small-scale civic experiments that could create measurable public benefit.
We do not claim to have every answer. We show our working, invite expertise and focus on what can be tested responsibly.
From Polish działki to small Irish settlements
In Poland, rodzinne ogrody działkowe (family allotment gardens), commonly known as działki, divide organised green areas into individual plots linked by shared pathways and communal infrastructure. For decades, they have supported gardening, quiet recreation, family life, and neighbourhood solidarity.
It is crucial to note that this is not a residential housing system. Polish law explicitly sets clear boundaries: plots are limited to 500 square metres, recreational cabins may not exceed 35 square metres (subject to strict height limits), and both permanent habitation and commercial enterprise are strictly prohibited.
What Ireland could adapt
Rather than importing legal definitions, an adapted model could explore structured, community-centred design principles:
- 10–20 compact permanent homes
- Modest private gardens or growing plots
- Shared green space, a workshop, and a community room
- Centralised utilities, sustainable waste management, and site upkeep
- Safe pedestrian routes with strictly limited vehicle access
- Clear ownership, tenancy structures, and community governance
- Direct connections to nearby villages, public transport, and core services
From allotments to homes
Ireland should borrow the spatial and social framework—not copy the legal status or rely on garden cabins as informal housing. Rather than tolerating ad hoc living conditions, Housing Quest could investigate a properly planned, evidence-led pilot. This would focus on permanent, high-standard homes built with secure legal tenure, complete modern infrastructure, and full adherence to Irish building regulations from the very beginning.
This initiative represents a design and planning concept under conceptual review; it is not yet approved, funded, or legally established.
Borrow the pattern—not the planning loophole.
Source note: Polish Family Allotment Gardens Act 2013, consolidated text published 2021, especially Articles 2, 12 and 13.