About This Project

Galway City Council and Galway County Council

Development of the Galway Metropolitan Area Socio-Economic Profile

Client Overview:

Galway City Council and Galway County Council is one of thirty-one Local Authorities in Ireland. They provide many services throughout the City including infrastructure and libraries and are responsible for planning and development management in the city.

Task:

Galway City Council and Galway County Council commissioned People and Place Limited to develop a socio-economic profile of the Galway MASP (Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan) Area. The purpose of the document was to provide a solid evidence base to support future decision-making within the Galway Metropolitan Area and to be of use to strategic and forward planning in both Galway City and Galway County Council as well as the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA). The team were tasked to undertake this analysis using the Census 2022 Small Area and Electoral Division data. The purpose of this project was to use an evidence-based approach to better understand the Metropolitan area.

Approach:

Using the neighbourhood names as defined in the City Development Plan and Small Area boundaries, 27 neighbourhoods were identified and mapped within Galway City. Each neighbourhood level was based on aggregations of CSO Small Area (SA) boundaries and aligned with the four broader Core Strategy zones – City Centre Residential, Inner Residential, Established Suburbs and Outer Suburbs.

All data in the profile was presented using a geographical hierarchy approach with both count and percentage data available to easily compare and contrast the Metropolitan Area with other areas of interest, or vice versa. Each indicator was also accompanied with a local level map at the Small Area (SA) level to show spatial trends within and across the Metropolitan Area. Key data themes were demographics, social, economy and employment, homes and housing, and the environment.

Results:

The output of the analysis was a socio-economic profile offering a comprehensive overview of the Galway Metropolitan Area in Galway City and County, drawing from the latest data available from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) Census 2022. It provides a detailed analysis of the demographic, economic, and social characteristics of the Galway Metropolitan Area.

The profile compares the Galway Metropolitan Area with national and regional planning areas as well as both the Galway City and County local authority areas. The profile also provides details on Galway City and Suburbs, the three main metropolitan settlements (Oranmore, Baile Chláir and Bearna) and local level data for twenty-seven (27) neighbourhood areas within Galway City.