Local Communities as Agents of Change – The Significance of Participation in Governance & Planning

The second thematic event to be jointly hosted by NIRSA, NUI Maynooth, Southside Partnership and Meath CDB took place on Wednesday, 28^th March 2007.  Entitled, Local Communities as Agents of Change: The Significance of Participation in Governance and Planning, this 1-day workshop was attended by approx 25 people representing SPAN partners, local government agencies, locally elected representatives, and local development agencies.
As a follow-on to the November 2006 event, New Opportunities for Active Citizenship through Multi-level Governance and Strategic Territorial Planning (click here for further details), this second workshop addressed some of the issues and challenges raised at the initial workshop, held on 29^th November 2006, and proposed new ways of engagement for communities, thus maximising the impact of their involvement.  It was practical in its focus and, through case studies and action learning, this 1-day event considered:

• how communities can best engage with decision-makers and the planning process so that their concerns and viewpoints are taken into account,
• the various approaches to citizen participation and the strengths and weaknesses of each, and
• how best to engage with the more disadvantaged communities so that they actively participate in planning and governance matters.
  

Programme:
          Session 1: Public Participation Strategies – Prof. Simin Davoudi
                          Public Participation: Case studies from Newcastle & Birmingham – Prof. Ali Madanipour
          Session 2: Opportunities & Challenges from Planners Perspective – Richard Cremins
                          Opportunities & Challenges from Councillor’s Perspective – Cllr. Niamh Bhreathnach
                          Opportunities & Challenges from NGO Sector – Mary Cullen