Dubliners made the most of 'empty road time' during the pandemic, walking and cycling while working from home. More problematic was the 'exodus' of residents from the centre for greener pastures. Dublin's historic housing stock struggles to meet today's needs, argues Jude Byrne, and a shift in policy to increase Dublin's supply of affordable land on which to develop new homes to buy and to rent would enable more of the city's workers to put down roots and sustain the city's famous streets.