Leisure space reflecting changing city demography: tracking the phase of an international quarter development in Parnell Street East, Dublin

Abstract

Ireland has undergone significant economic and social change and with high levels of immigration there are now more than 100 different nationalities living in Dublin city. The broad question is has the leisure space in the city adapted to reflect the increasingly multicultural Dublin population? The particular topic of concern in this research note is to track the development of Parnell Street East area from its emergence as an Asian enclave, to efforts by immigrant entrepreneurs to create a Chinatown, to the more recent Dublin County Council policy of developing it as an international quarter. This is the first part of the larger ongoing study and this paper focuses on the Asian cohort of entrepreneurs. The key research questions are: (1) How has this leisure space developed? (2) What has been the role of local Asian immigrant entrepreneurs in these developments? and (3) What role have policy-makers played in this process? The study’s preliminary findings are presented in a chronological manner with 3 phases of development identified and discussed. Within these developmental phases, the voices of key players are presented, offering a comprehensive picture of how this leisure space has been developing since its inception and what roles both Asian immigrant entrepreneurs and local policy-makers have played.