FEASTA WORKSHOP

'Planning for the Future now - Building Sustainable Local Communities'

Hosted by Roger Levett and Dr Kevin Leyden

Tuesday November 22, 2005, 9.30 am - 2.30 pm
Mont Clare Hotel
Clare Street
Dublin 2

A workshop for a limited number of participants to share knowledge in securing environmental and social sustainability in local communities. The workshop will offer insights into Strategic Plan Development and implementation by City and County Development Boards.

Download the booking form (pdf format)
You can also book online using Feasta's secure form.

Who should attend?

Senior Local Authority planners, engineers, managers, programme directors and architects.

Participants are advised to attend the Feasta Annual Lecture given the night before by Roger Levett which will set the broad context for the workshop.

9.30 am	Registration and Introductions
10.00 am	What makes Sustainable Neighbourhoods/communities - US and Irish evidence - Dr Kevin Leyden
10.45 am	Economic success - the need for redefinition, and the relationship between economic framework, planning,service delivery and individual choice – Roger Levett
11.15am	Coffee break
11.45 am	Case Studies, Panel and Round Table Discussions The workshop will address practical problems raised in case studies which seek to deliver the social and environmental sustainability objectives outlined in the presentations. Two Irish initiatives, one rural and the other urban that propose the innovative use of local government powers under the 2000 Planning and Development Act will be presented and discussed. Other case studies are invited from participants
1.30 pm	Lunch and informal discussion

Roger Levett

Roger is a thinker and writer on sustainable development.

As a partner in Levett-Therivel Sustainability Consultants, Roger advises UK government departments, public bodies including regional and local authorities on sustainability policy and tools including indicators, sustainability appraisal, strategic environment assessment and quality of life assessment.

His publications include:

1. A Better Choice of Choice - a critique of consumer choice as a principle of public policy (Fabian Society 2003)
2. Leading the way: how local authorities can meet the challenge of climate change (UK Local Government Association 2005). This is a fascinating vision for the year 2025 when energy use is reduced by 60% but where the quality of life has actually improved.
3. Planning for Urban Sustainability: An Ecosystems Approach (Royal Town Planning Institute 2005)

Kevin Leyden

is an Associate Professor of Political Science at West Virginia University and Director of the Institute for Public Affairs which promotes research focusing on the public policy problems faced by the State of West Virginia and the Appalachian region. The Institute also organizes statewide training conferences and educational workshops designed to assist West Virginia's public officials in their efforts to address pressing public policy and governance issues.

Leyden's current research examines how the built environment affects individuals socially, politically, and physically. His work on the relationship between neighborhood design and social capital in Galway was published in the American Journal of Public Health (September, 2003). He also serves as a partner with the World Health Organization's Large Analysis and Review of European Housing and Health Status (LARES) and is currently completing a study of the relationship between community design, housing quality and health in eight European cities. His preliminary findings on this subject were recently presented at the 2nd Annual WHO Housing and Health Symposium in Vilnius, Lithuania, The American Public Health Association, in Washington DC and the 1st International New Urbanism and Beyond conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

He is a member of a FEASTA research team currently examining the Irish transportation system for the Environmental Protection Agency. In the US, Dr. Leyden serves on the Center for Disease Control & Prevention's Environmental Subcommittee of the Healthy Aging Network which is examining how the built environment affects physical activity among older Americans.