I am delighted to be leading Strand 3 of the next PASCAL Conference in Glasgow from 3-5 June 2016. Connecting to complementary initiatives in holistic development is a key theme for this conference that is reflected in the Challenge Question of the conference which is directed at ways in which there can be progression in city development from a raft of silo initiatives to more holistic and integrated development of sustainable cities.

Cork has been interested in this question since 2013 when we ran an international conference on this subject. Later we participated in the PASCAL EcCoWell Network within PASCAL International Exchanges which sought to carry this work forward, and now we have embedded EcCoWell in our strategies at city level.

PASCAL welcomes papers that comment on strategies adopted to achieve holistic and integrated development in cities. Papers are invited that outline strategies adopted in connecting Healthy Cities, Learning Cities, Resilient Cities, and Green Cities.

Papers are sought related any of these agenda and in particular those that show how learning strategies add value to their objectives. Please see the CALLS section of the PASCAL 2016 Conference website for more details. Here in Cork we are currently implementing Learning Neighbourhood pilot projects as a context where integrated strategies can be implemented and monitored and is interested in any other cities that have experience in this area, and we will be showcasing our work in Glasgow.

We look forward to seeing you in Glasgow.