Published in The Dubliner.

Not changed utterly. Things will change in Dublin, but they will not change utterly. Dublin in 1970 was similar to Dublin in 2009, and Dublin in 2050 will be outwardly similar. The intervening days between today and 2050 – about 15,000 of them – offer us the opportunity to make things better for the children who will succeed us.

Grey is the new black By the year 2050, one in four workers will be over 65, and one in ten will be over 80. That’s right, I said “workers.” You will be working into your 70s and 80s; advances in healthcare and an increasing retirement age mean many of us will work 40, 50, perhaps even 60 years of our lives. So Dublin will be a grey city, with older people much more visible on the streets. Our golden years will be golden, and as culture and fashion move to accommodate the preferences of this large demographic, it’s going to be hip to be older.

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