More than 100 HAP tenants in Dublin lost their homes after poor conditions flagged
“An innocent tenant, through no fault of their own, ends up back homeless because a landlord doesn’t carry out the works,” says one councillor.
People are even more dependent on the internet and phones now with the impact of Covid-19, so senior management see it as a pressing issue, says Jamie Cudden, the head of its Smart City unit.
Smart Dublin is an unusual beast within the council, given its remit to partner with tech companies and other private players on challenges affecting the city.
Greater engagement? That’s welcome, says Lorcan Sirr, a housing lecturer at TU Dublin. But the council’s enthusiasm for trialling an app developed by a property-industry PR executive is worrying, he says.
When the local authorities’ Smart Dublin initiative wanted more data on spending in the city, it teamed up with the credit-card company. Here’s a look at their collaboration.