The Sandy Quarter, Galway

A once in a generation opportunity to transform an underutilised, brownfield area into a new sustainable and biodiverse urban quarter. 'Ceantar na nGainimh' - meaning the Sandy Quarter - will be easy to access and navigate via new pedestrian and cycle routes. These routes will create a walkable neighbourhood, sparking growth and regeneration across the wider area including the adjacent Liosbán Estate.

The major urban moves of the realigned Sandy Road to be known as the 'Sandy Street', the 'Square' and 'Cotton Park' provide a new organisational structure for a series of distinct connected character areas. The Square will be a new destination within the city and a local place for the community. Cotton Park will have a distinctive character that mimics Terryland Forest Park by protecting and enhancing it's existing character, which is defined by riparian landscape and woodland.

The landscape led and nature-based design solutions adopted early by the design team, resulted in a significant net gain in biodiversity within the site. Urban regeneration on brownfield sites presents an opportunity for Irish towns to address the rising demand for land by densifying existing urban centres. The design of the new public amenity spaces augments the natural riparian features of the site and act as supporting social & community infrastructure contributing to net biodiversity gain, improved air quality and reduced noise. The Sandy Quarter will be an Irish exemplar for the future design of sustainable, biodiverse urban neighbourhoods.