The Irish Times

There's something about walking through Dublin Docklands that lends itself to flashbacks from The Truman Show. Somewhere in the midst of the carefully planned piazzas, express barbers and lunchtime laundry services, it's easy to picture Truman Burbank falling to his knees goading the CCTV gods - "Somebody help me, I'm being spontaneous!" Maybe it's the intricate planning, artistically austere playgrounds, or delicately designed gardens that create an atmosphere of predictability. Yet all that may be about to change. Just like the waterfronts of Vancouver or Boston, Dublin Docklands is a large-scale development project where culture and urban regeneration have made for uncomfortable, yet necessary, bedfellows. The hope in all of these projects is that well-funded cultural impetus will help foster a sense of community, vital in harbouring long-term sustainability. Culture, and the arts in particular, is now central to urban regeneration programmes across the new Europe. But does it work?