BALLINA
Ireland's Greenest Town
A local initiative to become Ireland's Greenest Town
Missed the public presentation?
No worries you can see it below!
Environment
Social
Economic
Let's Develop a Sustainable Future for All!
Sustainable Development gives a path to a green future
By balancing the 3 main components of Sustainable Development and looking for the opportunities that exist between them, we can define new possibilities for a green future. The 17 UN SDG's provide a framework to balance these components and achieve a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future.
Together we can make this happen.
We can create new opportunities for both the public realm and commerce
Prioritizing people will benefit everyone
By focusing on the needs of people, we can imagine new possibilities for public space. In addition to retail and commerce, the main streets can provide recreational areas, space for nature, room for people to relax and unwind and space for creative expression. This will give people more reasons to come to the center, increasing footfall, improve the air quality and add to the pride of the town. If we cover the pubic realm, we can provide shade and the possibility of water collection or solar power generation!
Our carparks could be showcases for going green
By mixing functions, we can generate new potentials
To remove on-street parking we must be more efficient in our way of parking cars. In stacking them, we can also start to imagine other functions that would add to the green vision. Imagine a mobility hub pavilion that also generates electricity to power EV, has a publicly accessible vegetable garden that provides to local cafes or restaurants and has space for green retail and community functions!
Imagine a network of activated, connective spaces
Giving new opportunities for connection and activation
Ballina has an extensive network of underuse laneways. By upgrading these and adding different functions, we create welcoming spaces for people to move through and even linger in. This will encourage people to walk more and will offer new opportunities for retail and other activities. Imagine if each lane has it's own theme. We could even have a tour of the lanes!
Let's maximize the Moy's potential and become a waterfront town
Our greatest asset deserves more focus
The Moy is the life-force of the town but it is not the main focus. By improving the connection from the bank to the river, adding café pavilions and having riverside markets, we could extend the commercial life beyond the center to the river and reinforce it's importance. Maybe we even signpost our pride!
We can connect the periphery
with eco-corridor green-ways
An opportunity for both nature and infrastructure
By overlaying an eco-corridor and a cycle/walk greenway, we create space for flora and fauna to migrate through and around the town while also giving people an alternative form of mobility that connects the town's housing estates and peripheral amenities. We know that people want to connect more to nature and make a change in their way of moving. Let's give them the facilities to do that!
Imagine bridging our green spaces across the Moy and Brusna
A new link could also be a new destination and icon
By linking Belleek, Tom Ruane Park and the Green at Quignaleacka we create the possibility to have one large recreational greenspace that dramatically reduces the distance between some of the towns best amenities. This opens up new opportunities for health and well-being, mobility and nature. More than a connective focus point it would also be a visual focus, providing view towards the center, Bunree and the Quay.
We can reimagine the spaces were we live
Going green means more dynamic living
By analyzing the spaces where we live, we can add new qualities. Shared space organization makes it possible to mix slow traffic with recreational functions. Communal greening schemes can encourage and enable households to plant wildflower and vegetable gardens. Retrofitting buildings will improve the energy efficiency of buildings and reduce energy costs.
Let's make the best of Ballina's unique landmarks
Taking a fresh look at what we take for granted
Landmarks such as the Crete Boom, the Dolmen and the Augustinian Abbey, all provide a special insight to the history of the town. Currently they are left as they are but we could provided access for people to engage in these unique structures. They could become destinations on a tour of the history of Ballina. These memories of the past help to frame our ambition for the future!
Green spaces can become community spaces
Underused greens can provide space for other functions
By adding different green amenities to residential areas, we can create places for the community to come together. Spaces for young families, for sports and for community growing all encourage a green lifestyle. We can also leave space for nature to grow and thrive which creates a better environment for all.
Ballina could become energy independent
We can transition from consuming to producing energy
Nationwide upgrading and retrofitting of buildings is necessary for the country to decarbonize. This also offers the opportunity for wide scale upgrading of infrastructure and our energy network. If Ballina leads the way, we can be the first to befit from these changes with improved energy efficiency, reduced bills and more comfortable living environments.
