ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the Docklands has become a symbolic site of importance as the heart of the new economy, driven by technology innovation. It outlines the historical importance of the Dublin Docklands in the dominant narrative of the State and the latter’s contested engagement with urbanism. The chapter discusses the Smart Docklands initiative as an experimentation site for organisational transformation by drawing attention to the emergence of inter-organisational work practices that underpin the smart city ecosystem. The urban form of Dublin, as well as that of other cities and towns throughout Ireland, has a complex relationship with its inhabitants old and new. Its Georgian and Edwardian architectural heritage is shared with England, Scotland, and Wales, and evidences the composite culture of Ireland. The Smart Strategy represented the Irish government’s effort to enable “an exemplary research, innovation and commercialisation ecosystem so as to create ‘The Innovation Island”.
