Strategic spatial planning on the island of Ireland

The central argument in this article is that recent advances in strategic spatial planning on the island of Ireland have been considerably enhanced through the medium of the European Spatial Development Perspective. This has provided a shared technical vocabulary and an imperative to imagine possibilities which transcend the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to a greater and lesser extent, depending on the sensitivities of the actors concerned. Particular attention is given to the role played by very different participatory processes in helping to shape these spatial agendas. The paper concludes by identifying an action‐oriented commitment to sustainable development as the key strategic choice in advancing the logic of territorial interdependence.