In Brief

The Challenge

Addressing Ireland’s high vacancy rates is a core pathway of the Government’s flagship Housing for All policy, and critical to meeting carbon emissions reduction targets.  

Numerous incentives for the reuse of vacant buildings and sites have been introduced but implementation is based on incomplete and fragmented data: we don’t understand the scale, distribution and nature of vacancy. 

Reliable baseline data on vacancy would provide a mechanism for managing the efficient use of existing building stock and support the Green Transition through a reduction in demand for new buildings. 

The Solution

Vacancy Map Ireland (VMI) will be a new system for identifying and mapping vacant buildings. VMI is a novel and open geospatial data model that will assemble proxy datasets in a global information system; integrate Artificial Intelligence technologies and location-based verification; and apply a new taxonomy for vacancy.  

This solution will address identified barriers and risks such as the scale and fluidity of data, and data privacy; engender a digital transformation in public services that supports informed and efficient progress on public policy; and strengthen engagement between citizens, communities and government for societal good. 

The model will provide comprehensive, dynamic and reliable baseline data on the likelihood of vacancy, supporting the efficient use of existing building stock and therefore help in addressing the housing and climate crises.

The Team 

  • Team Lead: Dr Philip Crowe, University College Dublin  
  • Team Co-Lead: Dr Gavin McArdle, University College Dublin  

Societal Impact Champion  

  • Alison Harvey, Heritage Council