Lead expert visit Hradec Králové

Visit format:

The basic format of the visit followed the model set in Umeå, notably:

- Opportunity to visit the city - understand its geography (history), development patterns, recent projects/initiatives, problems and difficulties

- Meeting with the URBACT M-Spice local project team (including Katerina Slováková) plus head of city development department and chief officer responsible for the city’s integrated urban development plan – to examine current intentions, documentation material, partner experience of strategic planning and monitoring, local governance model etc.

- Pavel and Jana also organized meetings with the Deputy Mayor Mr.Vedlich and with the Mayor of Hradec Králové, Mr. Fink to inform them of our URBACT network and its ambitions.  On the afternoon of day 2, two site visits were organized to the new bus terminal (opened 3 years ago) and the director of public transport company, and to the Technological Centre, a business incubator installed in a former military airport site on the outskirts of the city (part operational, part brownfield site) and its director Mr. Martin Dittrich.

- Half day meeting with core group of the Urbact local support group – this is an opportunity to test the water, to explain the reasons and ambitions behind the LSG model, the URBACT method, extending membership of the group, and the possible focus for a Local Action Plan in the city as part of project activity

- On the final morning a recapitulation of ideas and exchanges, in relation to the development phase and possibilities for the implementation phase, and focus on content for the partner profile of the baseline study.

Meeting project team

The city and its responsible officers clearly have experience in developing strategic plans and have since the beginning of the century been active in developing monitoring instruments. A new strategic plan is on the horizon (2013-2020) and the city development department would like to couple a monitoring system to this so that the plan becomes incorporated in an ongoing process of survey-analysis-plan-monitor-review-adaptation, rather than a short term plan model which is then replaced by a new strategic document.

In 2003 the city initiated a series of population surveys and attempted to build a profile of the city on the basis of a set of descriptive indicators. There is therefore a good working experience (well-documented) on this aspect of city management. In the plan vision 2004-2020 strategic objectives were developed for different sectors (housing, transport, business, infrastructure, schools/education, environment, social areas and health, culture/recreation and leisure) and these formed the foundation for development of indicators which were compared with the RFSC methodology in the test phase.

Some conclusions:

Public administration was recognized as a missing link in the above mentioned objectives after involvement in the RFSC test

Need to make a strong connection between strategic planning, implementation projects and actions, the monitoring system and the city budget

Graphic output and communication is a key consideration – which target groups and how to not only inform but generate feedback

RFSC is useful to check the level of integrated approach

1st Hradec Králové Local Support Group meeting 

 Representatives from University of Pardubice (Centre of EU Planning, Faculty of Economics and Administration), Regional Development Authority, City Department of Economy, City Development Department and City Integrated Urban Development Plan (ERDF funded projects)

Key discussions:

• What is the role of the LSG and its connection to the political process and politicians?
• How can the LSG contribute to communicating monitoring results and to who (different approaches to different target groups)?
• What could be the local action plan - some possibilities were proposed: an assessment tool to measure city development and/or the strategic plan; establishment of a communication method; construction of a cross administration governance model to achieve wider than city objectives i.e. cycle path along river to Pardubice crossing municipal boundaries?
• How can the LSG be expanded to make it more representative of a cross-section of city stakeholders, population?
• How will the LSG work, how to organize activities, is their need for an LSG animator?
• Can the Managing authority be involved?

There were no definitive conclusions to these discussions but the reflection in this first meeting was formed both a relevant and valid basis for the advancement of Local Support Group involvement.

In short Hradec Králové took this opportunity over 2 days to organize a really concentrated and valuable brainstorming on its engagement in the M-Spice network, examining both options and obstacles and it is likely that many of the points raised are also under consideration in the other partner cities committed to the project.

Philip Stein