The Dublin Chamber of Commerce has called for the Government to set up a Greater Dublin area authority as a matter of urgency.
The chamber said the authority should manage important transport issues, particularly in the light of a projected population of two million spanning seven local authorities by 2016.
According to the chamber, planning, land use, transport, waste management and water provision, as well as wastewater services, require a collective response.
Maintaining that Dublin is about to become one of Europe's principal centres of business, the chamber said a clearly defined development strategy for the city and surrounding areas was needed.
Arguing that centralised management worked well in other European cities, the chamber said it was "worth noting that the new mayor of London has as one of his top priorities investment in London and that new structures such as the Greater London Authority are being established to facilitate that role."