SMITHFIELD, the capital's most neglected urban space, "will hopefully become to Dublin what Times Square is to New York or Red Square is to Moscow", according to the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal.
Ms Liz McManus was speaking at a ceremony in the Civic Offices to announce a major architectural competition for the redesign of its central space which, in terms of size, is comparable to the Piazza Navona in Rome.
She said the competition, which is open to designers at home and abroad, was "a unique opportunity to provide a major new civic space for Dublin", and it was unlikely that such a chance would occur again in the foreseeable future.
According to the brief, competitors will have to show how major public gatherings can be catered for, how the area will retain its market uses and how Smithfield can become a centre for the existing and developing urban community in the vicinity.
Ms McManus said she was particularly pleased to see that the Markets Area Combined Residents' Association will be represented on the jury for the competition, which is being organised by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.
She believed this was the first time local residents had been included on such a jury, saying this "clearly signals the new era of partnership which we have entered" as well as an intention that the new square should benefit the community.
The £1.75 million project is a key element in Dublin Corporation's HARP (Historic Area Rejuvenation Plan) initiative for a large and quite run down 260 acre swathe of the city stretching from the west side of O'Connell Street as far as Collins Barracks.
It will complement other significant developments in the immediate area, such as the major scheme currently under construction on the former Jameson distillery site, and the proposed Luas light rail system which will cross the southern end of Smithfield.
The competition is being sponsored by the corporation with aid from the EU funded Urban and Village Renewal Programme. Whoever wins it is likely to receive £100,000 in fees, which means that it is likely to generate interest nationally and internationally.
It is open to architects, landscape architects, urban designers and artists working in collaboration with "appropriate professionals", with all entries to be submitted anonymously. The jury will have a prize fund of £10,000 to distribute at its discretion.
