The framework of modern Dublin, within the ambit of the North and South Circular Roads is, in the main, the work of the Wide Streets Commissioners of the 18th century. They were originally appointed under an Act of the old Irish Parliament in 1757 for the making of "a wide and convenient street from Essex Bridge to the Castle of Dublin." This new street is the Parliament Street of our day. Many other streets were subsequently laid out or enlarged and so we have the spacious thoroughfares of Dame Street, Lower Abbey Street, Beresford Place, Lower Sackville (now O'Connell) Street, Westmoreland Street, D'Olier Street, Burgh Quay, Hawkins Street, etc.

Earlier in the century the River Liffey was enclosed with walls, and towards the end of the century the two canals, embracing Dublin on the North and South sides, were constructed. The river was spanned by new bridges, and the construction of the North and South Circular Roads completed the framework of the modern city, giving us, in the words of Professor Abercrombie, "the bones of a fine plan, symmetrical but not mechanical." ("Dublin of the Future," Volume One of the Publications of the Civic Institute of Ireland, 1922.)

The efforts of the legislature were ably seconded by private enterprise. The nobility, the professional, manufacturing and mercantile classes vied with one another to make their city worthy of its place as the country's capital, and stately mansions sprang up along the many wide thoroughfares that were laid down in emulation of the work of the public authority.

This first phase of civic development came to a close after the union of the Parliament with that of Great Britain. The reformed Corporation, which took in hand the control of the City's affairs as the result of the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act, 1840, were faced with new problems arising out of the spread of higher standards of public health.

Public funds, now wholly provided by the Municipality had, therefore, to be diverted from the re-planning of the city streets, to the provision of a system of sanitation and other services to take the place of the primitive conditions that existed hitherto. Street and domestic cleansing services had to be organised. An extensive programme of street paving, keeping abreast of the latest developments in street surfacing, was initiated. Public lighting, first by gas, and afterwards by electricity, was installed. The provision of an adequate water supply was the most important of these early projects to be undertaken. The success of the Vartry Waterworks scheme enabled a system of sewage disposal by water carriage to be provided for the whole city. A new Main Drainage Scheme was opened in 1906 and, with the rapid spread of the city outwards, new areas including, by agreement with the local authorities, districts outside the Municipal boundary, were from time to time connected with the main drainage system. Food and cattle markets and a public abbatoir were established and an efficient fire-fighting system organised.

Notwithstanding the heavy expenditure incurred on this second phase of civic development, the Corporation, from 1878 to the present time, raised over £10,000,000 on loan to provide dwellings for the working classes. Costly schemes of replanning on the lines of the work of the Wide Streets Commissioners necessarily had to yield place to the more urgent needs of modern sanitation and housing. Nevertheless, the extensive modern municipal housing schemes, undertaken since an Irish Government was once again established in Dublin, have been laid out with due regard to town planning requirements. Simultaneously, as opportunity offered and finances permitted, street improvement schemes in accordance with a broad outline of future developments were carried out from time to time. Legislation providing for the drawing up and enforcing of a planning scheme for the whole area was not passed until 1934. It would be preferable, of course, if the planning scheme had preceded construction. The completion of the first stage of the Town Planning Consultants' work as set out in this volume, puts matters now in the proper order.

As stated in the covering report of the Town Planning Committee, not all the proposals put forward by the Consultants will be included in the Statutory Planning Scheme. Some will have to be omitted on the score of expense, but can, from time to time, as circumstances warrant, be included as amendments to the scheme, or can be carried out under the powers conferred by other Statues.

The extent to which the existing city will be re-modelled, under the planning scheme, must needs be moderate. This restriction in scope, however, is not due to lack of vision but to the necessity of avoiding financial commitments which the Municipality, in view of the many other pressing claims on its resources, cannot undertake for some time to come. This applies to the number of the proposals included in the planning scheme rather than to the details of individual proposals. It is deemed preferable to have a limited number of comprehensive proposals rather than partial development over a more extensive area.

The Corporation in selecting Consultants for the planning scheme, were fortunate in being able to secure the services of Professor Patrick Abercrombie, FRIBA, and Mr. Sydney A. Kelly, FSI, who had already made a careful study of the Dublin planning problem and whose plan of "Dublin of the Future" won the prize of £500 offered in connection with the Civics Exhibition of 1913. The present proposals are the joint work of these gentlemen and of Mr. Manning Robertson, MTPI, MRIAI, a well-known Dublin architect and town planner, assisted by the Technical Staff of the Corporation. The proposals with some amendments have been adopted in principle by the Town and Regional Planning Committee and the General Purposes Committee, and the findings of these Committees are embodied in the Report.