Thematic Workshop: New Opportunities for Active Citizenship through Multi-Level Governance & Strategic Territorial Planning

30
Nov
2006
by ADMIN
| Conferences & Events

New Opportunities for Active Citizenship through Multi-Level Governance & Strategic Territorial Planning
29^th November 2006
Hosted by NIRSA, NUI Maynooth in association with Southside Partnership & Meath CDB

A thematic event on New Opportunities for Active Citizenship through Multi-Level Governance & Strategic Territorial Planning took place in NUI Maynooth on Wednesday, 29^th 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:

the role of community development and local government agencies in building good governance,
the various types and levels of participation that exist and the need to move towards real consultation and partnership, and
the benefits of higher levels of participation in the planning process for developers, local authorities and communities.

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.
A second event took place on Wednesday, 28^th 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, Local Communities as Agents of Change: The Significance of Participation in Governance & Planning, 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.