<strong><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">New Opportunities for Active Citizenship through Multi-Level Governance &amp; Strategic Territorial Planning
<strong>29<sup>th</sup> November 2006
</strong>Hosted by NIRSA, NUI Maynooth in association with Southside Partnership &amp; Meath CDB
</span></strong>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A thematic event on <em>New Opportunities for Active Citizenship through Multi-Level Governance &amp; Strategic Territorial Planning</em> took place in NUI Maynooth on Wednesday, 29<sup>th</sup> November 2006.  Against the backdrop of the governance and spatial planning issues facing both of these counties, the purpose of this thematic event was to raise and debate the issues surrounding:</span>
<ul type="disc">
	<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">the role of community development and local government agencies in building good governance,</span></li>
	<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">the various types and levels of participation that exist and the need to move towards real consultation and partnership, and</span></li>
	<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">the benefits of higher levels of participation in the planning process for developers, local authorities and communities.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This event also examined some of the new approaches emerging to address these issues (i.e. e-consultation, visual aids, etc.) and discuss their effectiveness in assisting stakeholders, particularly community groups, in overcoming the barriers they face in engaging with governance and the planning system.
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A second event took place on Wednesday, 28<sup>th</sup> March 2007. This follow-on event was more practical in its focus. It examined the various approaches to citizen participation and, through case studies and action learning, considered how communities can best engage with decision-makers and the planning process so that their concerns and interests are more effectively represented and reflected in decision outcomes. This second thematic event, <em>Local Communities as Agents of Change: The Significance of Participation in Governance &amp; Planning</em>, was facilitated by Prof. Simin Davoudi and Professor Ali Madanipour of the University of Newcastle. Both are highly esteemed experts in the fields of governance, spatial planning, and social exclusion.
</span>
<p align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img src="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/images/new_opps1_nov06.jpg" alt="" width="586" height="439" border="0" /></span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><em>Selection of delegates from </em></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Belfast</em></span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img src="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/images/new_opps2_nov06.jpg" alt="" width="584" height="437" border="0" />
</span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><em>Morning speakers: Q &amp; A Session</em></span></span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img src="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/images/new_opps3_nov06.jpg" alt="" width="584" height="438" border="0" /></span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><em>Selection of delegates from </em></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Belfast</em></span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img src="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/images/new_opps4_nov06.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="442" border="0" /></span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><em>Delegates and speakers</em></span></span></p>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Relevant Documents:
</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">          Report of Thematic Event – <em><a href="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/documents/New_opps_nov06/Report%20Thematic%20Workshop%2029Nov06%20-%20Final%20%28with%20photos%29.pdf">New Opportunities for Active Citizenship
</a></em></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">          <a href="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/documents/New_opps_nov06/00%20-%20Programme%20-%20Active%20Citizenship%20Governance%20and%20Planning.pdf">Workshop Programme</a>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">          Session 1:         <a href="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/documents/New_opps_nov06/01%20-%20Governance%20in%20Dun%20Laoghaire%20-%20BOKeeffe.pdf">Governance &amp; Citizen Participation in Dún Laoghaire</a> – Dr. B.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">O’Keeffe
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">                                  <a href="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/documents/New_opps_nov06/02%20-%20Meath%20as%20Suburb%20Dublin%20-%20KStewart.pdf">Meath – A Suburb of Dublin?</a> – K Stewart
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">          Session 2:         <a href="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/documents/New_opps_nov06/03%20-%20Building%20Blocks%20Good%20Governance%20-%20JAllen.pdf">Building Blocks to Good Governance</a> – J. Allen
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">                                  <a href="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/documents/New_opps_nov06/04%20-%20Egovernance%20in%20Ireland%20-%20GHFagan.pdf">E-Governance in Ireland</a> – Dr. G.H. Fagan
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Session 3:         <a href="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/documents/New_opps_nov06/05%20-%20Stakeholders%20Rule%20OK%20-%20AHarvey.ppt">Stakeholders &amp; Public Participation</a> – A. Harvey
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">                                  <a href="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/documents/New_opps_nov06/06%20-%20Participation%20in%20Planning%20-%20SCosgrove.ppt">Participation in Planning</a> – S. Cosgrove
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">                                  <a href="http://www.iclrd.ie/ff/documents/New_opps_nov06/07%20-%20Visual%20Tools%20%26%20Planning%20-%20RKingston.ppt">Visualisation Tools in Participatory Planning</a> – R. Kingston </span>
</div>