CO-CREATING SHANDON'S HISTORIC HEART, CORK
Everyday life as expertise
Feminist urbanism, placemaking and co-creation for the historic core
This project explores how public spaces in Shandon, Cork can become more welcoming, connected and reflective of everyday community life. Building on the Shandon Integrated Urban Strategy (2025), it focuses on the streets, routes and shared spaces at the heart of the neighbourhood.
Public space shaped from within:
A testing ground, not a finished answer
Through conversations with residents, teenagers, migrants, local businesses and Cork City Council – alongside an exploratory night walk and a co-creation workshop – the project gathers lived experiences of safety, belonging and care. These insights shape a set of design priorities and a long-term roadmap that position Shandon’s historic core as a testing ground for community-led transformation: a place where diverse groups can spend time comfortably, meet one another, and actively shape the area’s future.
Reclaiming fear through thread and image
Shandon’s historic core holds strong social ties, cultural memory and unrealised potential. Despite years of plans and delays, people remain deeply invested in its future, making it a powerful site for testing community-led change.
