The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) was delighted to host its third annual joint EUI-URBACT info session at the impressive Richmond Education and Event Centre* on the 25th of March.

The EUI-URBACT info session at the Richmond was well attended by local authority staff and others from across the Republic’s three regions. Always a great networking opportunity in addition to information being imparted on calls and opportunities, there was a very positive atmosphere on the day, aided by the sun and ample natural light filling the beautiful venue.

Bernie Roe, Assistant Director at the EMRA welcomed guests, provided an overview of the day’s agenda, as well as the importance of the EUI-URBACT Contact Point role for EMRA given it marries both the planning and EU cooperation functions of the organisation. She encouraged attendees to get involved, before passing over to David Murray, Planning Advisor at the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage (DHLGH). David spoke briefly about the EU Agenda for Cities, the DHLGH’s support for an integrated plan-led approach to growth, and for our local authorities to develop capacity and find new solutions to their urban challenges. David concluded by giving an update on Ireland’s preparation for the EU Council Presidency in semester 2, and the DHLGH’s role as the ministry responsible for urban and territorial cohesion policy.

Following Bernie’s and David’s words of welcome to kick the day off, Karl Murphy (EMRA), Urban Contact Point for the European Urban Initiative (EUI) in Ireland provided an overview of the EUI’s capacity building offer. With a focus on the continuous call for City-to-City Exchanges and the latest Peer Review call (open until April 22), he explained the huge potential benefits for local authority staff to avail of these free opportunities to build capacity, explore solutions to urban challenges with peers across Europe, and to build networks. Karl explained the simplicity of applying to either call and the supports available. He spoke briefly about EUI Capacity Building events, and the Portico knowledge platform before welcoming Aoife Lawler, Senior Executive Officer (Housing) at Fingal County Council.

Aoife provided an inspiring testimonial on her involvement in an EUI City-to-City Exchange with Helsinki in respect of cost rental housing. She spoke of her learnings and how this is influencing Fingal County Council’s approach and attitude to housing tenure mix! Aoife spoke of her two experiences as a Peer Review city during 2025 where she acted as a Reviewer in Sörmland, Sweden (May) and then in Malmö, Sweden (December), encouraging those in the audience to apply! Aoife is the first local authority staff member in Ireland to partake in both a City-to-City Exchange and a Peer Review. We were delighted to have her experience in the room! Karl and Aoife next sat as part of a short panel, taking a number of questions from an interested audience.

Following the EUI Capacity Building offer, we next heard from Kathleen McCarron, Senior Project Officer at the EUI Permanent Secretariat. Kathleen joined in-person from Lille and provided an overview of the new Innovative Actions (IA) call 4, as well as some excellent tips for those that plan to apply. The IA call 4, remains open until June 15 and enables eligible local authorities to pursue innovative, out-of-the-box solutions (products, processes or services) to their sustainable urban development challenge. Kathleen and Karl took questions from an interested audience.

Before breaking for lunch, Laure Antoniotti (EMRA) introduced a short video which has been produced across the last year, focusing on the EUI and URBACT offer, as well as a glimpse of EMRA’s work as Contact Point with local authorities across the three regions. The video was warmly received, and you can view this here.

After a lunchbreak of busy networking and information exchange, the afternoon’s URBACT session got underway. Karl Murphy, National URBACT Point for Ireland gave details of the brand-new URBACT call for Action Networks (open until June 17). The new call sees a greater emphasis on implementation and the move from plans and strategy to putting these into action via local pilots. 50% of the budget is available for these testing actions, and approaches to implementation will continue to be influenced and improved by each project’s transnational partners, with strong participation of local stakeholders mandatory as always when it comes to URBACT! After Karl’s presentation, attendees heard inspiring URBACT testimonials from Kitty Foyle, Senior Executive Officer (Environment) at Meath County Council and Colin Doyle, Senior Community and Social Development Officer at Dublin City Council. Kitty whose In4Green network (focused on the green and sustainable transition in the town of Navan) concluded in December 2025 spoke glowingly of the value of URBACT in “pull[ing] everyone into the same room, looking in the same direction”. She spoke of the great structure and tools that URBACT participation provides, including impactful testing actions, a governance model that works and clarity on priorities. Colin, whose project CITI4UD is only at the beginning spoke very encouragingly of his first expressions on the utility of the project. It has great potential in generating stronger community bonds and in encouraging inclusive participation in pursuit of public space enhancement and greater economic opportunity for Bluebell, South Dublin (the project’s location focus). Following Kitty’s and Colin’s lively testimonials, they were joined by Karl as part of a panel, taking questions from a curious audience.

The day concluded with some thank-you notes from Bernie Roe before the team stayed on to take questions on a bilateral basis from interested prospective applicants.

A huge thank you again to all our speakers: David, Aoife, Kitty, Colin, and a special thank you to all our attendees for what was a positive day of information exchange and networking.

You can find all resources from the day at the event page (see left panel) and you can view the gallery of photographs here.

*Based on North Brunswick Street in Dublin 7, the building was previously the Richmond Hospital until 1987, before being used for District Court sittings. It was acquired by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) in 2014, refurbished and formally opened as the Richmond Education and Event Centre in 2018. The redeveloped Richmond was shortlisted as a finalist in the Irish Construction Excellence Awards and now operates as a centre of excellence for the delivery of education courses to nurses and midwives, and in addition, the venue offers a number of rooms which can be rented for social events, small conferences and meetings.

Read a press release about how EMRA has formally written to Ministers expressing concerns regarding the National Development Plan (NDP) Review 2025 Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport.

It is Reclaim the Economy Week (26^th January – 1^st February 2026) and events are being held around the world to raise awareness and spark creative ideas about how to ensure that our economy serves us better. As the 21^st century unfolds, we are facing unprecedented challenges like climate change, wealth inequality, and the impact of advanced technologies on work. Reclaim the Economy encourages the exploration of emerging models of sustainable economic development that seek to respond to perceived limitations in the current economic system and propose solutions to today’s complex challenges.

To that end, a webinar was held on the 27^th of January 2026 to introduce key concepts in new economic thinking like the Wellbeing Economy, Doughnut Economics, Post-Growth, and the Care Economy. Organised by Feasta (Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability) and the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, the webinar opened with reflections on the current state our economic system from Mark Garavan of Feasta. He emphasised the “carelessness” embedded in our economy, from the disposability of single-use products that saturate our waste streams to the loss of human life in wars waged for resources. Our economic system has fostered “atomised individualism”, a state in which people are presumed to ruthlessly pursue their individual self-interest. We know, however, that humans are communal animals and that cooperation and care are key to our success as individuals, as communities, and as a species. This is where new economic ideas can fill in the picture, not only to more accurately reflect the reality of our human condition, but to better address our needs. Organised by Cultivate, Feasta (Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability) and the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, the webinar opened with reflections on the current state of our economic system from Mark Garavan of Feasta. Cultivate’s website is https://cultivate.ie

Garavan spoke of “care-full” economies as an alternative, in which the value of care is recognised and the health and wellbeing of people and planet are prioritised. The webinar featured a discussion of Doughnut Economics, a framework for thinking about economic development that respects both social and planetary boundaries. The main goal of an economy based on this model is to maintain a sustainable equilibrium that rests on a strong social foundation and respects the limits of the planet’s finite resources. The Wellbeing Economy was also discussed, a model focused on designing economic rules and incentives to ensure that everyone has enough to live in comfort, safety, and dignity. The Wellbeing Economy moves the focus from economic growth (GDP growth) to people-centred wellbeing (health, environmental regeneration, participation, fairness, purpose).

A lot of these new schools of thought on economic development are moving away from GDP-growth as the ultimate measure of a strong economy. The GDP-centric nature of our current economic system leaves out a lot of what is important to us as a society. Vanessa Conroy of the National Women’s Council presented a stark example during the webinar; women in Ireland collectively do 38 million hours of unpaid care work weekly, adding at least €24billion of value, or 12.3% of the total Irish economy. This shows the valuable contribution of this work to the economy but, despite that, it is largely invisible in the accounting of our current economic system.

Post-Growth, sometimes referred to as Degrowth, has been criticised for being anti-economic development, but this is a fundamental mischaracterisation of the concept. As Roisin Markham of the Irish Doughnut Economics Network outlined during the webinar, it’s not about being “anti-growth” but rather about not pursuing a narrow definition of economic growth at all costs – that other considerations for our flourishing as individuals and communities must be taken into account. It is the difference between “more” and “better.” The term degrowth comes from the French word décroissance, which means reduction or diminution. It is derived from the analogy of a river returning to its natural flow after a disastrous flood in which the water exceeds its bounds. Like other new economic models, Degrowth emphasises the need for our economy to roll back the damaging impact of over-consumption, to stay safely within our ecological limits.

In its 2023 Climate Change Assessment Synthesis Report, the EPA found that “fairer and more equal societies are more resilient to impacts (of climate change) and are more likely to adopt progressive transformative policies. Prioritisation of wellbeing and equity in development and climate policy could bolster the democratic social contract in support of transformation, including improved quality of life, decent work and the value of care.”

The novel challenges we face in the 21^st century will force transformation on us, one way or another. New approaches to economic policy are a key part of taking control of that transformation. With the right policies in place, we are better positioned to ensure a just transition for long-term human wellbeing. Business-as-usual risks exposing us to a future in which we are unprepared to deal with existential threats. This webinar was held as part of Feasta’s ongoing initiative to enhance economic literacy. This initiative encourages us to ask difficult questions about things we have taken for granted, assumptions we have accepted for decades. Have our policies for economic development been oriented towards the right goals?  Does economic success require environmental harm? How can we have infinite economic growth on a planet with finite resources? New models of sustainable economic development frame answers to these questions with ambitious, creative, and transformative new thinking.