An ESPON funded research programme, KITCASP, is exploring the use of territorial data to develop and monitor national spatial strategies and other territorial development policies. The National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA) is the lead institution with four other international partners from Iceland, Latvia, Scotland and Spain.
This ESPON-funded initiative is drawing on findings and recommendations from the 2012 ICLRD scoping study<strong> <a href="http://iclrd.org/2012/05/01/towards-a-spatial-monitoring-framework-for-the-island-of-ireland-a-scoping-study/" target="_blank">Towards a Spatial Monitoring Framework for the Island of Ireland</a></strong> funded through ICLRD’s CroSPlaN Initiative, an INTERREG IVA funded-project administered by the SEUPB.
The aims of the KITCASP research are to:
<ul>
	<li>Support evidence-based, integrated policy-making for territorial development;</li>
	<li>Identify and disseminate good practice in the use of data, indicators and indices to inform the preparation of national strategies for territorial development;</li>
	<li>Examine how ESPON findings can contribute to that process; and</li>
	<li>Explore the potential for identifying a core set of key indicators to address the development objectives of territorial cohesion, economic competitiveness and sustainable development.</li>
</ul>
The central focus of this project is the identification of the most suitable core set of key spatial planning indicators of significant practical use to policy-makers and practitioners at national and sub-national levels in the preparation of territorial development strategies. Indicators proposed through the KITCASP can support all Ireland planning and monitoring.
The research is being undertaken by Dr. Ainhoa González, researcher at ICLRD and NIRSA, and Gavin Daly, researcher at NIRSA and ESPON contact person for Ireland. Further detail on the project and the inception report on Key Indicators for Territorial Cohesion and Spatial Planning are available from the ESPON Website at:<a href=" http://www.espon.eu/main/Menu_Projects/Menu_TargetedAnalyses/kitcasp.html" target="_blank"> http://www.espon.eu/main/Menu_Projects/Menu_TargetedAnalyses/kitcasp.html</a>
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