A changing city: We need to talk

Cities evolve as human needs evolve.

At the moment it seems that Cork City is going through a period of significant transition — whether those changes are widely welcomed or not.

City Hall proposals around a St Patrick’s Street car ban have angered some retailers but impressed others who believe city centres must change or die.

OPW proposals to raise quay walls in a fantasy effort to contain floods are going ahead despite thoughtful opposition.

The character of some mature suburbs has changed negatively because of endless demand for student accommodation.

Huge taxpayer funds have been committed to an events centre, which, like the national children’s hospital, is planned for a location that is at best difficult to access.

On Monday cyclists will protest at City Hall, demanding that cycle lanes be kept clear.

No single issue will provoke a call to man the barricades but there is an air of autocracy about these developments that flies in the face of local democracy.

It is time there for a citizens’ forum to consider how the city is evolving.

After all, despite all politics being local, local voices are being ignored.