What makes this place Dublin are many specific qualities to do with its location, topography, meteorological conditions (the rain and the wind, the constantly changing sky), history and culture. Recent thinking on cities suggests that demographic analyses are meaningless and shed little light on the human condition if they don't allow for specificity. "Cities and societies work as generators of difference as much as of similarity,” argues Nigel Thrifts in a recent critique of Paul Virilios’ apocalyptic view of the modern city. Though Dublin’s urban sprawl can be compared to that of many other cities, its own particular conditions transform the way it is experienced in the eyes of its inhabitants. As a case study in modern suburban life, however, there are few places that reflect so completely the forces of capitalism and ideology that have gone into moulding urban space in the 20th century, and from this point of view Dublin and its suburbs provide an invaluable resource for reflection on urban questions today, relevant both locally and globally.
How people perceive the cities or the suburbs that they live in and move through, whether they feel this environment works for or against them, and what they would like it to become; these are the questions that Moving Dublin addresses. Demographic questions related to how, where and how many people move – that is the business of scientists. We are interested in the intimate and social nature of everyday journeys; how a person takes possession of a bus route; how different loops converge on, run parallel to or diverge from the built transport infrastructure, and most importantly, how a cityloop opens up or closes off possibilities of social interaction. We approached our task with very little idea of how best to proceed, but as Albert Einstein said, "If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
A long series of projects with Dubliners began. Focusing on different forms of movement, our research took a varied approach and included the following and more: filmed walks and drives, interviews, texts, participatory projects where those involved filmed their own journeys, even dance in urban space. From this we assembled a large stockpile of documents which all relate in some way to personal experiences of moving through Dublin. These documents reflect as much the built reality of the urban space as they do a mental picture of the place linked to personal experiences, history, memory and imposed conceptions of society. We met people whose lives have been ruined by the merciless rhythm of city life; many. And people who love the city; only a few. It has been a revelation to us how few expressed love for the city that Lady Morgan once called her dear, dirty, Dublin.
