PRESS RELEASE 28/06/2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Southern Regional Assembly project explores the challenge of future-proofing regions outside capital cities
FutureECOS project to support improved regional planning and sustainable development in the Southern Region of Ireland
The Southern Regional Assembly is responsible for regional spatial and economic planning in the Southern Region of Ireland, a region spanning ten local authority areas across Munster and South Leinster, with the ambition to be one of Europe’s most innovative, liveable, and sustainable regions. A key enabler to achieving this ambition is the opportunity to learn from other regions across Europe, in particular those regions facing similar challenges and opportunities, through EU co-funded projects.
One such project, FutureECOS, kicked off at the end of May, in Hämeenlinna, Finland, and will be implemented over a period of four years. The project is co-funded under Interreg Europe and is coordinated by the Regional Council of Häme, with six project partners from four regions across Europe. It will explore how regions that are competing with ‘national growth poles’, for example Dublin or Helsinki, can future-proof their economies and their communities through better alignment of regional development with spatial planning, R&D, climate strategies and social plans.
Rhiannon Carey Bates, EU Projects Officer, Southern Regional Assembly:
“We are delighted to be a partner in the FutureECOS project. Interreg Europe funding is focused on policy improvement through interregional learning. We have a particular interest in the experience of similar regions in developing and implementing polices that support compact urban growth and the development of economic growth corridors, both features of our Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) for the Southern Region. We in turn will share our experiences of regional planning with our project partners. Hopefully we will have an opportunity to welcome them to our region over the course of the project”.
Further information on the project and the work of the Southern Regional Assembly is available at www.southernassembly.ie
ENDS
Group Photo from FutureECOS Kick Off meeting held in Hämeenlinna, Finland recently
For further information contact:
Dr Rhiannon Carey Bates – EU Projects Officer, Southern Regional Assembly
rcareybates@southernassembly.ie
+353 873 483 705