The first Regional Stakeholder meeting for the FutureECOS project took place in the Clayton Hotel, Cork City on 25 September 2024, where stakeholders gathered to discuss future-proofing living spaces in growth corridor regions. FutureECOS is a three-year Interreg Europe project focused on improving integrated urban development policies. The project tackles the challenges and opportunities faced by regions outside national growth poles, with a view to making these areas more appealing through better housing and living spaces, while linking in digitalisation, sustainability, and social inclusion.
Attendees included representatives from the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage, the National Transport Authority, the Land Development Agency, University College Cork, South-East Technological University, the Mid-West Regional Enterprise Plan, the Environmental Forum, as well as colleagues from the Southern Regional Assembly and the Eastern & Midlands Regional Assembly.
The meeting kicked off with an overview of the FutureECOS project, outlining its aims and objectives. This was followed by two presentations on established growth corridors. Pauline Leonard, Atlantic Economic Corridor Project Executive, spoke about the progress of the Atlantic Economic Corridor and how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the project’s direction. Jukka Lidman joined remotely from Finland and discussed the growth corridor in the Hämeenlinna Region. Mary Molloy from the Southern Regional Assembly then shared the ambitions for a similar corridor in the Southern Region of Ireland.
FutureECOS is complemented by three cross-cutting themes: Smart Living, Sustainable Living, and Inclusive Living. The Southern Regional Assembly, as the coordinator of the Smart Living sub-group, will lead efforts to foster innovation in smart living spaces. This sub-group will facilitate in-depth exchanges on smart living’s role within the broader FutureECOS themes. During the meeting, Áine Whelan, EU Projects Officer, shared developments and best practices from the Southern Region’s experience with smart living initiatives.
Jeanette Fitzsimons from University College Cork concluded the presentations by focusing on citizen engagement strategies, a crucial component of FutureECOS under the ‘Europe Closer to Citizens’ priority. Engaging citizens effectively is key to shaping policies that resonate with regional communities and their needs.
The meeting ended with a discussion on three main questions:
- What does “future-proof living” mean for our region?
- How can this idea drive regional development?
- What are the key elements that define an economic corridor?
Looking ahead, the project will now focus on identifying good practices from other regions and assessing their potential application in the Southern Region.
Project Contact:
Dr Rhiannon Carey Bates, EU Projects Officer, Southern Regional Assembly
E-mail: rcareybates@southernassembly.ie
Project Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/futureecos
