This webinar offers initial reflections from the first phase of this research programme – focusing on three small towns across the island of Ireland and two in Maryland.
One of the most significant transformations in the socio-economic geography of Ireland in recent decades has been evident in the changing geographies of population and of employment, which have brought about a new spatial relationship between homes and workplaces. This transformation has been led by the restructuring of the economy, and the shift in employment towards high technology manufacturing and knowledge-intensive services. While the phenomenon of commuting has grown rapidly, research on its impacts (as distinct from its drivers or causes) has failed to keep pace. The two-year InPLACE research project, led by ICLRD, responds to this gap in our understanding. The InPLACE project is examining the effects of outcommuting on small settlements, using a case-study approach focused on selected communities from across the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) and the State of Maryland, US.
This webinar offers initial reflections from the first phase of this research programme – focusing on three small towns across the island of Ireland and two in Maryland. Analysing fieldwork conducted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, including periods of lock-down and re-opening, the research aims to unpack the complexity of the impacts of pre- and post-COVID commuting on the economic, social and spatial characteristics of ‘commuter towns’ and identify key policy domains where the emerging issues identified through this fieldwork has relevance.
Moderator
Prof. Gerrit-Jan Knaap, Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and Executive Director of the National Center for Smart Growth Research, University of Maryland & Executive Director of ICLRD
Welcome by ICLRD Chair
Ms. Mary MacIntyre OBE
Speakers
The InPLACE Project: Commuting Patterns and their Impact on Place – An Overview
Dr. Gavan Rafferty, Lecturer in Spatial Planning and Development, Ulster University
The Changing Spatial Relationship between Home and Work – Reflections from the Island of Ireland
Dr. Karen Keaveney, Head of Rural Development and Assistant Professor in the School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin & Senior Research Associate, ICLRD
The Impact of COVID-19 on Commuting Patterns – Reflections from Maryland
Mr. Jesse Bardsley, Graduate Student in Community Planning and Research Assistant at the National Center for Smart Growth, University of Maryland & Research Associate with ICLRD
