We ‘must tap our cities’ potential’

DUBLIN falls short when it comes to languages, ease of travelling and quality of life for people working there.

It excels however on the climate that governments create for business and the availability of office space.

Dublin was also ranked badly in access to markets, customers or clients, the availability of qualified staff, telecommunication quality and transport links with other cities.

A study among 500 top executives was conducted on Ireland’s capital and Dublin Chamber compared it with four European cities — Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Geneva and Vienna.

Access to and availability of clients are top in terms of importance for executives.

City regions account for more than 80% of the global economy and are home to over half the world’s population, yet occupy 2% of the world’s land surface.

Ahead of its annual dinner tonight, Dublin Chamber of Commerce said that as other countries tap the potential of their cities, Ireland must follow suit.

Dublin Chamber president, Imelda Reynolds said: “Every Irish city competes with other international city regions in their ‘league’. This report looks beyond the immediate, in order to understand where future growth opportunities will arise and what Ireland’s Government must do to avail of them.

“Understanding how Dublin ranks against its competitors means we can prioritise actions to move our position up the league and create more growth and jobs.”

The survey was conducted among 36 European cities and Dublin was ranked 20, a decline from 18 in 2009.

Ireland’s capital was ranked 77 of the 78 largest city regions economies in the OECD. The report points out that in the next 15 years there will be another 136 cities in the developing world vying for investments currently located in Ireland.

Ms Reynolds said: “The report clearly demonstrates the major contribution of city regions to their national economies. For Dublin to compete with its peers, we need to prioritise the “three Ts” — talent, telecommunications and transport — these are the areas that require urgent attention by Government.”

Ms Reynolds said cities are the driving force of economies and, therefore, need to be nurtured.

“We have entered the era of city regions and it is time that we embraced the potential they offer to our nation and our society,” she said.

British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh will deliver the keynote speech at Dublin Chamber’s annual dinner tonight. Mr Walsh was also the keynote speaker at Cork Chamber’s annual dinner earlier in the year.