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TWICE THE SIZE - DIT Update - Dublin Institute of Technology

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epresenting different sectors, organisations and views, creates conducive conditions for<br />

stimulating discussions, creative imagining and innovative brainstorming. In each workshop, the<br />

aim was to achieve a shared understanding <strong>of</strong> what the future may bring and stimulate<br />

collaboration amongst stakeholders in shaping the future. A single one-day workshop was<br />

conducted for each gateway. The attendance varied from 11 to 25 participants. The list <strong>of</strong><br />

workshops is attached in Appendix 2.<br />

Futures Questionnaires were employed as an additional method for collecting information<br />

about the aspirations, wishes, values and fears <strong>of</strong> participants regarding the future <strong>of</strong> the city or<br />

town in question; identifying strengths and weaknesses <strong>of</strong> that territory; and determining<br />

driving forces <strong>of</strong> change that will influence its future. The questionnaires were distributed in<br />

advance <strong>of</strong> the workshops to stimulate pre-workshop reflection on the future <strong>of</strong> a given city or<br />

town. Around 70 questionnaires were distributed to people identified as having a direct or<br />

indirect influence over the city/town development, from each gateway. The questionnaires<br />

were sent to representatives <strong>of</strong> all sectors.<br />

Strategic Conversations, an in-depth interviewing technique, was used at two levels: local and<br />

national. At the local gateway level, the Strategic Conversations were carried out with up to<br />

five stakeholders per gateway. The interviewees were recognised as having both an impact on<br />

the development <strong>of</strong> the city/town and being renowned for their strategic and ‘outside-the-box’<br />

thinking. These conversations provided valuable insights into the challenges, opportunities and<br />

possible future alternatives facing the particular gateway city/town. The Strategic<br />

Conversations at the national level were conducted at the start and the end <strong>of</strong> the study.<br />

Strategic<br />

Conversations at<br />

Local & National<br />

Level<br />

Scanning <strong>of</strong><br />

published policy<br />

Scenarios & Preferred<br />

Vision for a Gateway<br />

A Visioning<br />

Workshop<br />

Figure 4: A combination <strong>of</strong> methods used during the study.<br />

37<br />

Evaluation <strong>of</strong> public<br />

commentary<br />

Futures<br />

Questionnaires

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