The survey which showed that people in Dublin are less happy than those living in the country was presented at a conference Towards Sustainability in the National Development Plan 2007-2013 in Dublin yesterday.
A strategic environmental assessment should be carried out before the introduction of the National Development Plan to analyse the impact it would have, it was argued yesterday at the conference.
Dr Mary Kelly, director general of the Environment Protection Agency said an impact assessment was required because the population is expected to grow by one million people by 2013.
"I think it is essential that we look at the environmental impact that that kind of forecast would have on the Irish economy," said Dr Kelly.
"It will be too late in 2013 to look at it and say 'I wish we had done it some other way,' so the time to try to determine the impact is before the plan gets under way."
Dr Kelly also highlighted the importance of measuring outcomes on the money that is spent in the National Development Plan. She said that in terms of public transport she wanted to see not only how many people were using it, but also how many people had given up cars and whether carbon dioxide emissions were reduced.
The conference was organised by Comharm, the National Sustainable Development Partnership, which was established by the Government in 1999.
Towards Sustainable Growth, a briefing paper presented yesterday by Prof Brendan Walsh of UCD, estimates that the Irish economy is likely to grow at between 3 and 5 per cent a year between now and 2011 and says that to achieve the growth at the higher end of this range, higher levels of immigration and/or higher rates of improvements in productivity will be required.
The research argues that a liberal immigration and work permit policy would relax labour shortages and make continued rapid growth in total GNP more likely, but its effects on congestion, house price inflation and social cohesion are likely to be negative.