Virtual and Non-Virtual Nature in Cork City

Our Maynooth University team, based at the Innovation Value Institute, visited our pilot site in Cork, Ireland, this summer to examine the development plans for new green spaces along Douglas Street and record pre-intervention data.

Our talented crew included intern Emma Somol and SPUR student Sarah McNamara, research assistants Amelia Carroll and Sara Lynch, PhD researcher Ada Nicke, and project coordinator Tadhg MacIntyre, collaborating with the team at UCC led by Annalisa Setti and Cork city partner Martha Halbert.

We began with testing the novel virtual reality walking tour developed by Fred Fröhlich, VR designer at Inland University of Norway, which gives local residents a virtual experience of Cork City Council’s redevelopment along Douglas Street. Residents were able to explore the area using the VR headset and then share their opinions on the new look of the Public Realm Enhancement Scheme. The goal of the scheme is to pedestrianise a major thoroughfare, add additional green infrastructure and co-create a space that promotes intergenerational social interaction.

A handful of us got to test the VR ourselves — using the headset in a large indoor space at the School of Architecture, we could walk around the room to navigate the virtual space. This allowed us to explore the future Douglas Street and fully immerse ourselves in the re-natured space. It is a very different experience to viewing the artist’s impressions of the future space — we were actually able to exist in the park before it even came to life.

In the afternoon, we conducted research on-site on Douglas Street. Our goal was to examine each part of Douglas Street to characterise environmental quality aspects relevant to human health. Data collected included segregation from traffic, biodiversity, access to vegetation and nature, and safety. We were split into teams and employed a multidimensional in situ quality assessment tool for urban green spaces developed by our partners in the project, the world-leading Barcelona-based research institute ISGlobal.

We took pictures of each space we examined to help us understand the context. Once the public realm enhancement and re-naturing is complete, we will return and collect follow-up data applying the same methods to see how the spaces have improved in terms of usability, biodiversity and functionality for all citizens.

Our visit to Cork allowed us to engage with professionals, researchers, students and leaders from psychology, environmental science, ecology, mental health, physical activity and health promotion who shared our passion for human and planetary health. Our advisory board member, Leif Barry, who leads biodiversity education for the OPW at the Phoenix Park in Dublin, shared his insights on the local nature and treescapes in the city.

Leif highlighted the opportunity to increase nature in the urban realm and prioritising native species to ensure a longer-term impact on biodiversity. We spent our lunch break discussing many prevalent issues regarding the implementation of green spaces into cities, including but not limited to development challenges, legislation, transportation, and public receptivity.

Each person had their own unique perspective to share, and we all ended up learning something new from one another. Tadhg MacIntyre, associate professor of environmental psychology at Maynooth University, praises Cork for being “the most sustainable city in Ireland with the highest ambitions for climate resilience.” A highlight for Tadhg is the team at Cork Flower Studio, who champion sustainable practices and respect for nature with their eco-friendly model (zero single-use plastic and a vase deposit return scheme!).

Overall, our trip to Cork was a rousing success, and thanks to our partners at University College Cork, Annalisa Setti and Topaz Shrestha, for their support. We enjoyed seeing the pilot site and meeting new members of the team. Our newest interns got to see what we work so hard on, and our veteran members got to share their expertise and gain insights from the next generation of young researchers. Amelia Carroll, geography student at Maynooth University, found a side street covered in green walls and window planters. “This was by far my favourite part of the trip,” Amelia said. “It reminded me of all the greenery on the south campus at Maynooth University.”

The GoGreen team had the privilege of talking to one of the residents on this street about his personal opinions on the new development project. Research assistant Sara Lynch said, “It was really nice to see how excited the locals were to talk about the project and share their own insights on life in Cork city. Hearing their voices made a real difference to our understanding of the planned changes in Douglas Street.”

Cork is unique in the Irish context, being Ireland’s leading city for sustainability, an EU mission city and WHO Healthy City, with a commitment to climate neutrality led by Peter Medway (Climate Action Coordinator), and an inclusive and healthy future with leadership from Martha Halbert and WHO city lead Denise Cahill. At the political level, Cork city is the home of the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD, and now with Ireland’s EU Presidency, Cork city can serve as an example for European cities that are engaged in climate action and implementing the nature restoration law.

We are so excited to be part of the changes underway and to see Douglas Street transform into a beautiful green space in the heart of Cork city and a transformative asset for the local community for years to come.

I promise to return in the near future to see the re-natured Douglas Street and its impact upon citizens. So let’s just say sustainability is blossoming in Cork!

—

**About the author:**

Emma Somol is a Psychology and Environmental Studies double major at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She is currently conducting her thesis on the mental health and well-being of Connecticut farmers, combining her interests in psychology and sustainable agriculture. This summer, Emma is interning with GoGreen Next at the Innovation Value Institute at Maynooth University, Ireland. So far, her favourite part of the internship has been visiting Cork and seeing the redevelopment plans there.