4.1 are to inform the delivery of national

The RSES has used a robust evidence based approach to derive a settlement hierarchy that will achieve the Regional Strategic Outcomes for the benefit of the whole Region, see Table 4.2 and Figure 4.2.

Table 4.2 Settlement Hierarchy
Settlement Typology		Description	Areas
			Metropolitan	Core Region	Gateway Region
Dublin City and suburbs		International business core with a highly concentrated and diversified employment base and higher order retail, arts, culture and leisure offer. Acts as national transport hub with strong inter and intra-regional connections and an extensive commuter catchment.	Dublin City and suburbs
Regional Growth Centres		Regional Growth Centres are large towns with a high level of self-sustaining employment and services that act as regional economic drivers and play a significant role for a wide catchment area.		Drogheda	Athlone Dundalk
Key Towns		Large economically active service and/or county towns that provide employment for their surrounding areas and with high-quality transport links and the capacity to act as growth drivers to complement the Regional Growth Centres.	Bray Maynooth Swords	Navan Naas Wicklow- Rathnew	Graiguecullen (Carlow) Longford Mullingar Tullamore Portlaoise
Self-Sustaining Growth Towns Self- Sustaining Towns		i) Self-Sustaining Growth Towns with a moderate level of jobs and services – includes sub-county market towns and commuter towns with good transport links and capacity for continued commensurate growth to become more self-sustaining. ii) Self-Sustaining Towns with high levels of population growth and a weak employment base which are reliant on other areas for employment and/or services and which require targeted ‘catch up’ investment to become more self-sustaining.	To be defined by development plans.
Towns and Villages		Towns and villages with local service and employment functions.	To be defined by development plans.
Rural		Villages and the wider rural region	To be defined by development plans.

Figure from page 45

People & Place

Figure from page 45

Settlement Strategy	he sustainable, quential growth and eration in the town ified Key Towns by g the built footprint cus on regeneration Dundalk ment of identified Louth ntre infill / ites. Drogheda Navan Meath FCC Swords Maynooth DCC Dublin City Kildare SDCC DLR Naas Bray Wicklow Wicklow/Rathnew Carlow/Graiguecullen Rural Places ly those that Support the sustainable growth of rural areas ntial by promoting the revitalisation of rural towns ed investment and villages, including ready to go ices to grow regeneration projects coupled with investment ppropriate to where required in local employment and , to be services and targeted rural housing policies, to es. be determined by local authorities.
Dublin City and Suburbs Regional Growth Centres Key Towns Support the consolidation and Support significant population Provide for t re-intensification of and economic growth to drive compact, se infill/brownfield sites to effective regional urban regen provide high density and development, with a vision for core of ident people intensive uses within Athlone to act as a lead town consolidatin the existing built up area and for the Midlands growing to through a fo ensure that the development around 30,000 by 2031. The and develop of future development areas is vision for Drogheda and Key Town ce co-ordinated with the delivery Dundalk is for both to reach a brownfield s of key water and public target population in the region transport infrastructure. of 50,000 by 2031.
Longford Longford Mullingar Westmeath Athlone Tullamore Offaly Portlaoise Laois
Self-Sustaining Growth Towns Self-Sustaining Towns Settlements with strong service and Some settlements, particular employment functions may have the capacity have undergone rapid reside to support a level of commensurate population expansion will require target and employment growth to become more in local employment and serv self-sustaining, in line with their capacity of at a more sustainable level a public transport, services and infrastructure, to their position in the hierarchy be determined by local authorities. determined by local authoriti	Rural Places ly those that Support the sustainable growth of rural areas ntial by promoting the revitalisation of rural towns ed investment and villages, including ready to go ices to grow regeneration projects coupled with investment ppropriate to where required in local employment and , to be services and targeted rural housing policies, to es. be determined by local authorities.
Dublin City & Suburbs Metropolitan Area Dublin-B Regional Growth Centres Core Region Key road Key Towns Gateway Region Rail	elfast Corridor

Figure from page 45

Figure from page 46

Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy