--- title: "What Strong Villages Do — and What We Can Do Here | Coolock Village" description: "Five real examples of communities that improved local places — and what Coolock Village can learn from them." canonical_url: "https://coolockvillage.ie/news/what-great-neighborhoods-do/" template: "raw-page" schema_type: "NewsArticle" date_published: "2026-01-24T00:00:00.000Z" date_modified: "2026-01-24T00:00:00.000Z" --- Coolock Village Dublin 5 Ireland info@coolockvillage.ie Community-led civic action, local business, reporting, and regeneration hub for Coolock Village, Dublin 5. coolockvillage.ie www.facebook.com www.instagram.com www.wikidata.org Permalink to What Strong Villages Do — and What We Can Do Here news Back to Updates - - Share News / 24 January 2026 / 4 min read # What Strong Villages Do — and What We Can Do Here Five real examples of communities that improved local places — and what Coolock Village can learn from them. Author Coolock Village Regeneration Project Updated 24 January 2026 Discussion Open Bottom line ## Article summary Five real examples of communities that improved local places — and what Coolock Village can learn from them. Making Coolock Village a stronger village centre is practical work. Other communities have improved local places by organising, raising funds, and using the legal tools available to them. These communities used tools such as Community Land Trusts , Shared Space street design, and Community Shares . Here are five real examples of specific behaviors we can adopt in Coolock Village. 1. Poynton Town Centre 2. Granby Four Streets 3. Bellfield 4. Govanhill 5. Superkilen ## Poynton Town Centre (Cheshire, UK) What they used: Shared space and less street clutter Poynton’s main junction was a gridlock nightmare, with 26,000 cars a day choking the town. Instead of adding more barriers, the council removed traffic lights, railings, signs, and curbs. What changed: They treated drivers like adults. By removing the “rules,” they forced drivers to engage socially with pedestrians. Average speeds dropped, accidents vanished, and local shop footfall increased. Application for Coolock Village Our Traffic & Parking Reset isn’t about banning cars. It’s about removing the psychological cues that tell drivers they own the space. Shared space principles force eye contact and reduce dominant driving behavior. ## Granby Four Streets (Liverpool) What they used: Community Land Trust (CLT) Residents of these Victorian terraces stopped waiting for a “master plan.” They formed a Community Land Trust to take legal ownership of derelict houses themselves. They partnered with architects Assemble to rebuild the street on their own terms. What changed: They didn’t just renovate; they improvised. They crushed construction rubble to make tiles and garden furniture. They turned a roofless house into a public Winter Garden. Their work was so impactful it won the Turner Prize in 2015. Application for Coolock Village We don’t need a developer to save us. A Coolock Village Community Trust could take ownership of a single derelict building and start there. The legal mechanism exists in Ireland. ## Bellfield (Edinburgh) What they used: Community share offer When the Old Parish Church in Portobello went up for sale, the community didn’t just sign a petition—they raised the cash. They launched a “Community Share Offer,” allowing locals to buy shares in the project. What changed: Over 1,600 people invested, raising enough to buy the building debt-free. It is now Bellfield , a busy community centre run by the shareholders, ensuring it serves the actual needs of the village. Application for Coolock Village Funding isn’t just about grants. If we build a coalition of local businesses and supporters to back a village hall project, we could raise seed capital and strengthen future funding applications. ## Govanhill Housing Association (Glasgow) What they used: Strategic acquisition and repair Govanhill faced a crisis of “slum landlords” and crumbling tenements. The local Housing Association took a militant approach: they started buying the bad landlords out under their South-West Govanhill Property Acquisition and Repair Programme . What changed: They purchased and renovated over 370 flats, stopping the rot from the inside out. They focused on “placemending”—repairing the historic fabric rather than demolishing it. Application for Coolock Village Our old buildings are assets. We need a strategy to acquire and upgrade vacant commercial units in Coolock Village, rather than just building generic blocks on the outskirts. Value extraction must be combatted with community ownership. ## Superkilen (Copenhagen) What they used: Deep resident participation When designing this park in Nørrebro, the architects didn’t pick the benches from a catalogue. They asked residents to nominate specific objects from their home cultures. What changed: The park is now a collection of 108 objects from 62 countries: Moroccan fountains, Iraqi swings, Japanese octopus slides. It isn’t a “generic” park; it is a museum of the specific people who live there. Application for Coolock Village Any new planting or street furniture here should be chosen by us. It should look like Coolock Village, not a standard council catalogue. Public realm shouldn’t be procured blindly. ## From Examples to Local Work These are not abstract ideas. Cooperatives, approved housing bodies, community finance, and section 38 road trials all have Irish equivalents or nearby routes worth examining carefully. The Coolock Village Forum is currently looking at the Bellfield model to see if it would work here. Go deeper: - Check out the Granby Four Streets story online—it’s worth your time. - Come to the next Forum meeting. Details are on our Get Involved page. C Coolock Village Regeneration Project Community Initiative ## In this update - Poynton Town Centre (Cheshire, UK) - Granby Four Streets (Liverpool) - Bellfield (Edinburgh) - Govanhill Housing Association (Glasgow) - Superkilen (Copenhagen) - From Examples to Local Work - - ## Share this update WhatsApp Facebook Mastodon post Email - Copy link ## Filed under - #community - #regeneration - #coolock-village - #urban-design Keep reading ## More from Coolock Village News ### Keeping the Village Directory Accurate 26 Feb 2026 / 3 min News ### Dublin's 2026 Community Fund: Ideas for Coolock Village 25 Jan 2026 / 3 min News ### How Community Funding Works for Coolock Village 24 Jan 2026 / 4 min Older EV Charging in Coolock Village: Where Things Stand Newer How Community Funding Works for Coolock Village All updates ---