14 Stakeholders from 4 Local Authorities and 2 Regional Assemblies (including the NWRA) were represented at the stakeholder meeting, which was held at the end of a two day European Urban Initiative Capacity Building event:   Reimagining Places: Sustainable Conservation of Ireland’s beautiful heritage.
Assistant Director Paddy Austin launched the project and then EU Projects Officer Fiona Timoney gave a slide presentation, outlining the context for the project, (the need for cohesive integrated plans for sustainable development) its aim (to explore how urban strategic planning can incorporate sustainable development principles and align local sustainability policies)  and how that aim will be achieved (through a set of guidelines for policy makers). The stakeholders were fully engaged throughout the meeting, and then made valuable contributions in a workshop which asked the question:
What elements of integrated urban design would you like to see developed/Improved in your region. Please provide your answers for both planning and implementation and use/re-use.Â
The stakeholders answers have been collated into three categories: a) What do we want to see? B) How will we get there? and c) Â Some obstacles to getting there.
a) a need to focus on nature based solutions and town centre first initiatives
b) the need for consistent data, cross-sectoral multidisciplinary teams and significant training for senior management in order to develop and implement holistic plans and
c) the acknowledgment of certain conditions, some specific to Ireland (weather, cultural reliance on cars) that pose some obstacles to implementation.
The meeting was very well received with stakeholders expressing an interest in learning from future study visits.
Assistant Director Paddy Austin launched the project and then EU Projects Officer Fiona Timoney gave a slide presentation, outlining the context for the project, (the need for cohesive integrated plans for sustainable development) its aim (to explore how urban strategic planning can incorporate sustainable development principles and align local sustainability policies)  and how that aim will be achieved (through a set of guidelines for policy makers). The stakeholders were fully engaged throughout the meeting, and then made valuable contributions in a workshop which asked the question:
What elements of integrated urban design would you like to see developed/Improved in your region. Please provide your answers for both planning and implementation and use/re-use.Â
The stakeholders answers have been collated into three categories: a) What do we want to see? B) How will we get there? and c) Â Some obstacles to getting there.
a) a need to focus on nature based solutions and town centre first initiatives
b) the need for consistent data, cross-sectoral multidisciplinary teams and significant training for senior management in order to develop and implement holistic plans and
c) the acknowledgment of certain conditions, some specific to Ireland (weather, cultural reliance on cars) that pose some obstacles to implementation.
The meeting was very well received with stakeholders expressing an interest in learning from future study visits.