Launched in 2001, the Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland (RDS) set out an ambitious long-term strategic policy framework, with the aim of providing an explicit spatial dimension to the investment plans and sectoral policies of the Northern Ireland Executive. The National Spatial Strategy for the Republic of Ireland (NSS), published in 2002, similarly articulated a strong vision and long-term strategy for balanced regional development.
The publication of a joint consultation draft of a collaborative framework, explicitly linking the NSS and RDS in February 2011, represents a high-level commitment to a collaborative approach to the implementation of the two spatial strategies, with very significant implications, particularly for border regions.
Monitoring and evaluating the progress of the NSS and RDS in achieving their objectives has become increasingly critical in recent years with the rising levels of uncertainty and volatility in relation to spatial development and socio-economic trends and a recognized need for a fundamental reappraisal of the role of planning systems North and South.
While there have been some efforts to date to track and measure progress towards the tangible and intangible objectives of the two strategies, a substantive evidence-base is needed to monitor advances in a concrete and comparable way. ICLRD is undertaking a study to develop such a monitoring framework. Adopting an international perspective, ICLRD will recommend a common set of strategic progress indicators, with a special emphasis on the capacity of the NSS and RDS to inform decision-making and effectively guide the spatial distribution of development.