Housing
The Dublin Property Boom and Its Disappearing Artists
“Up to a few years ago we literally had a surplus of suitable buildings in the city, but now rents have doubled, if not tripled.”
Few places in Ireland showcase the country’s economic rebound quite like Dublin Docklands. Once a decaying industrial area, the neighborhood is now the city's hippest and most expensive, a stomping ground for young tech workers who socialize in its trendy cafes and bars and swell out of the sleek offices of Google, Facebook, and Airbnb, corporations most cities trip over themselves to attract.
A financial basket case just six years ago, Ireland has become the darling of the European Union, boasting its fastest growing economy and double digit annual increases in property values. But the same parade of international capital that has helped drive Dublin’s success is prompting a familiar narrative to unfold: Artists are being pushed out.