The recent EU consultative forum on environment and sustainable development has called for ‘sustainable governance’ based on ‘full information, an open public discourse and stakeholder dialogues at all levels’. This conference, held at Dublin Castle, explored ways of developing meaningful public debate about the future of Dublin. It introduced a model of civic engagment from the United States – the San Francisco Policy and Urban Research Association (SPUR) - and asked whether something similar could engage Dubliners in the the governance of their city. The speakers included: John Gormley TD, Leader of the Green Party and Minister of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government; Svend Auken, Former leader of the Danish Social Democrats and current spokesperson on EU affairs; Michael Ewing,Irish Environmental Network; Gabriel MetcalfExecutive Director of SPUR; and Conor SkehanDepartment of Environment and Planning, Dublin Insitute of Technology.(Original source: http://www.archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?p=91876)
