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PROXIMITIES Stakeholders Gather in Waterford city!

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By Project PROXIMITIES
The image shows a group of around 20 people posing for a photo at a professional event, likely related to the Interreg Europe PROXIMITIES project, as indicated by the banners in the background. The group is a mix of men and women in business casual attire, standing and sitting in two rows in a formal setting with stone architecture, flags, and presentation screens, creating a collaborative and official atmosphere.

On Tuesday, 8 April 2025, the Southern Regional Assembly welcomed stakeholders from across the region to Waterford City for the second Regional Stakeholder Group meeting of the PROXIMITIES project. Held in Assembly House, the meeting brought together a diverse mix of local, regional, and national voices to exchange updates, insights, and ambitions for more connected, accessible, and liveable urban places across the Southern Region of Ireland.

Participants included representatives from local authorities, national agencies, universities, civil society organisations, and future planners from the Planning and Sustainability M.Plan at University College Cork. The meeting provided an open forum to share progress from Semester 2, reflect on the recent interregional study visit to Manresa, and explore good practices emerging across the partnership.

Highlights of the agenda included:

  • an introduction to the VNiC Health Project by a team from Dublin City University

  • a presentation on community engagement and citizen feedback in Blackpool, Cork by University College Cork

  • an update on the development of the PROXIMITY Landscape Assessment Tool (PLAT)
    The National Transport Authority also joined to introduce their connectivity tools for analysing public transport accessibility and opportunity mapping.

Following a lively discussion and Q&A session, attendees gathered for lunch before taking advantage of the spring sunshine with a walk through the museum quarter of the city, Waterford’s Viking Triangle. There, they met members of the curatorial team and had the opportunity to hear about the regeneration of the area over the years as a heritage and tourism attraction.

The outcomes of the meeting will continue to shape the region’s work on sustainable placemaking through PROXIMITIES, as stakeholders collaborate on innovative approaches to proximity-based policy solutions.