Earlier this month, representatives of the Southern Regional Assembly took part in the 3rd Interregional Study Visit of the PROXIMITIES project in Reggio Emilia, Italy, hosted by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia as Lead Partner.
Representing the Assembly were Áine Whelan, EU Projects Officer; Kevin Twomey, Executive Planner; Cllr Peggy Ryan, Assembly Member and member of Tipperary County Council; and Jason Taylor, Planning Adviser (Urban Policy and Design) at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and member of the PROXIMITIES Regional Stakeholder Group.
The two day programme brought partners together to explore proximity based planning approaches aimed at strengthening liveability in peripheral neighbourhoods. Site visits and peer learning sessions focused on active mobility, community participation, urban regeneration and climate responsive public space design.
A highlight of the visit was the international public event, The Beauty of Proximity: Building Urban Well Being Through Communities, which featured a keynote address by Professor Carlos Moreno. Professor Moreno reflected on the evolution from the 15 minute city to the broader concept of the City of Proximity, emphasising the importance of designing policies around everyday accessibility, human scale planning and community wellbeing.
Cllr Peggy Ryan represented the Southern Regional Assembly on the event’s roundtable discussion, sharing perspectives from the Southern Region of Ireland and contributing to dialogue with European city leaders on embedding proximity principles into regional and local policy frameworks.
The study visit also provided valuable insight into Reggio Emilia’s pilot actions and good practices, including community led street redesign, school mobility initiatives, culture led regeneration projects and neighbourhood governance models. These practical examples will directly inform the Assembly’s policy learning and regional planning approaches in the Southern Region.
Participation in the study visit strengthens the Assembly’s engagement in European cooperation and reinforces its commitment to delivering more liveable, connected and sustainable communities across the Southern Region.
