Growth of City Suburbs

Why did Raheny and other suburbs develop around Dublin?

As a city grows suburbs also develop. This is because smaller settlements at the edge of a city get absorbed into the city. Usually parks, transport, libraries and schools are developed as the population grows.

In Dublin city in the 1920's there was a need for re-housing as many of the homes were overcrowded. Some of the worst buildings were often damp and crowded with whole families living in one room.

There were high levels of poverty and disease in the city which meant that the average attendance at schools was only 50%.

St. Anne's Park, Raheny

In Dublin in the 1920's it was thought that it was important to have greater amounts of open space and fresh air and recreation areas so that people could be healthy.

Courtesy of flickr.com

St. Anne's Park, Raheny
Courtesy of flickr.com

St. Anne's Park, Raheny

In Dublin in the 1920's it was thought that it was important to have greater amounts of open space and fresh air and recreation areas so that people could be healthy.

Courtesy of flickr.com

Enlarge image

To help solve the problems it was thought that it was important to have greater amounts of open space and fresh air and recreation areas so that people could be healthy.

The suburbs grew as people were moved out from the city centre or began to move out themselves. Dublin Corporation began moving people from the city to live in the suburbs like Crumlin and Cabra. Many people also bought houses in some of the suburbs like Terenure and Raheny.

Cities like Dublin have different districts. There are different uses of land in different parts of any city. Some areas like the city centre are places where business happens. The business area is usually in the oldest part of the city and rents for buildings are usually high there.

City Landscape

There are many kinds of housing in Dublin city. Some is rented housing which is lived in mainly by younger people working in the city centre. Many houses are also owned by Dublin City Council. Some are let to tenants.

Residential areas in cities like Dublin are usually crowded into quite small areas with some high rise buildings. This is because the land is expensive in the city centre.

The population density in a city centre area can be quite high. That means that in a city centre more people live in less space, unlike living in a suburb like Raheny which has more space.

City Districts and Suburbs

Suburban living space provides more living space beyond the inner city. If you live in the suburbs it is important to be able to commute from residential areas to the city for work or school.

Villages like Raheny have fewer people living on a larger amount of land than in the city centre areas. This means that they are more popular places to live in.

Why was Raheny a popular place to move to?

Now that you know more about Raheny, what do you think about the area?



Do you think Raheny is located close enough to useful services such as schools, transport links and shops?

Do you think Raheny is located close enough to recreation areas such as parks and playing fields?