“Why is Cork City broken?”

That’s the question local videographer, podcaster and YouTuber Kev Collins is posing in a fascinating new video that showcases what the city could look like with a few key changes and a refreshed focus on beautiful urban design.

The video, which has been viewed almost 17,000 times on YouTube, features a variety of incredible renders that will completely change the way you look at some of Cork’s most familiar thoroughfares.

“This episode takes a deep dive into the urban dysfunction plaguing Ireland’s fastest-growing city.” said Collins.

A render of how a new plaza off St Patrick’s Street might look. Credit: Kev Collins, Urban Fabric

“From overgrown bureaucracy to a lack of vision, from missing green spaces to paving that feels like an afterthought — we’re putting Cork under the microscope. We explore why public spaces don’t get built, why heritage keeps disappearing, and why the same broken lights and poles seem to last forever.

There’s humour. There’s satire. There’s even a sad pigeon. But behind it all is a serious question: How do we build a city that works for people — not just policy?”

Paul Street reimagined. Credit: Kev Collins, Urban Fabric

Featuring visualisations, maps, and street-level critiques, the video poses solutions for problems such as the lack of city centre green spaces, ugly lighting and shop signage, disappearing fountains and cultural markers and dodgy paving patterns, plus a mock-up for an open plaza at St Peters & Pauls Church that has been widely hailed as sensational by viewers.

You can watch the video in full here:

We love Kev’s lighthearted, often sarcastic take on some of the city’s worst eyesores and while there’s no denying many of the proposed changes would cost millions to bring to life, plenty of his suggestions are smart, cheap and viable… if someone in charge was willing to take them into consideration.