FUTURE OF CITIES

1
FUTURE OF CITIES LJUBLJANA FORUM 2011 City
Developers Foresight Conference European
Metropolitan Growth Area 2027
Janez Podobnik ECPD International Institute for
Sustainable Development, Urban Planning and
Environmental Studies, Ljubljana,
Slovenia Director
13-14 October 20011 Ljubljana, Slovenija
2
Recreational and Long Distance (RELOD) Tourist
Bicycle Lanes along Sava River, Connecting
Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
Contribution of the Cities to the Water path
SLOVENIA cross border CROATIA cross border
SERBIA
Ljubljana local communities Zagreb local
communities Belgrade
3
A word about the Institute

• Located in Ljubljana, Slovenia an EU and NATO
  and OECD member state
• Established in 2009
• Part of the European Centre for Peace and
  Development (ECPD) which is a part of the United
  Nations University for Peace and SBRA Slovenian
  Business and Research Association, Brussels
• ECPD has headquarters in Belgrade and an academic
  council in Paris

4
Vision of the Institute

• To continue policy promoted by the ECPD and focus
  it on sustainable development
• Following the ECPD doctrine that has
  interdisciplinary connected areas of economic,
  technological(biotechnology, food safety) and
  social development
• Focusing on management of natural resources
  pursued by technological and environmental
  programs, which embrace the principles of
  sustainable development

5
RELODCycle Project partners
City of Ljubljana established a project team
group, led by vice-mayor of Ljubljana ICPE
International Center for Promotion of
Enterprises, Ljubljana Urban Planning Institute
of the Republic of Slovenia (mag. Igor
Cotic) ECPD International Institute for
Sustainable Development, Urban Planning and
Environmental Studies, Ljubljana City of Zagreb,
Croatia City of Belgrade, Serbia And others
(Chambers of commerce, tourist organizations,
local municipalities, etc.)
6
Basic information
Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia the project is open
for all countries with regards to the Danube
Basin 3 years 2.500.000 EUR SWOT analysis,
Feasibility study, pilot projects, Draft plan
with guidelines for implementation of RELODCycle,
dissemination concrete construction of the
bicycle lanes bankable project est. 25 million
EUR start of investment is dependent on
resources
Participant Countries Project
duration Estimate cost for basic
project Follow up projects
7
What does Ljubljana as a capital city gain with
RELODCycle

• Promoting bicycling as an element of sustainable
  transport and recreation (caseBicikeLJ)
• Ljubljana has a good practice of sustainable
  settling of Ljubljanica bank expanding this
  approach by Sava River to other capital towns and
  other cities in Sava River basin
• Project connects the aspects of metropolitan
  development, regional-transborder Sava River
  basin development as well as the European
  approach (seen in the new, already adopted EU
  Strategy for Danube region)

8
Open public spaces and metropolitan areas

• Open public spaces in the City of Ljubljana
  represent the skeleton of the city (OPS as a
  principle in urban planning theory
  http//www.pps.org/about/approach/

• In the last years a series of street redesigns
  were implemented with appropriate urban and
  traffic program

• Redesigns were done mostly in the old city centre
  and with renovation projects upgraded the urban
  program

• However, there is still a lack of green open
  public space along the Sava River (water fronts)
  for recreation

• Open public spaces could play a vital role in
  rising of sustainable
• culture (information, awareness, dialogue,
• co-operation, participation, and lifestyle)

• Green open public spaces especially water fronts
  along the rivers
• represent a good opportunity for the sustainable
  development

9

• The Sava River and its tributaries, i.e.
  Ljubljanica, in its way through the municipality
  of the capital city forms a large potential for
  recreational and tourist purposes

• Well designed and managed green open public
  spaces especially water fronts along the rivers
  could represent the value added for the
  sustainable development

• Sustainable approach could influence positively
  on transnational
• cooperation in the region

10
Purpose of the project

• Improving cooperation between the capitals
  Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade and other local
  communities on this path
• Contribution to future development of the broader
  region, sustainable development promotion, mutual
  understanding and enlargement processes in the EU
• contribution to the implementation of the EU
  Strategy for the Danube Region (Sava River)
• fostering the integrated management of the Sava
  river front focused on sustainable tourism and
  transport as well as overall quality of life
• Upgrading the project Fostering contribution of
  the SME sector to sustainable development of the
  Sava River basin

11
Expected results

• introduction of regional tourist destination
• improvements of tourist and recreational
  infrastructure of partner cities and local
  communities
• cross border cooperation between EU member state
  and future member states
• promotion of sustainable principles and
  integrated approach in spatial planning
• draft plan of recreational and Long Distance
  Tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River

Economic aspect Social aspect Environmental
aspect
12
Focal points between EU SDR and RELODCycle project

• Creating transnational tourist packages (e.g.
  Combined rail-cycle-boat trips along the Danube
  (Sava)
• Improving sustainable mobility through traffic
  and interconnectivity of trains, busses, and
  shipping in the Danube countries
• To improve planning and infrastructure for
  sustainable tourism
• To support ways and cycle tourism examples of
  good practices Prague-Vienna Greenway, Amber
  trail from Budapies through Slovakia to Poland,
  subnational routes, such as Austrian Weinviertel

13
Latest activities regarding the financing of the
RELODCycle project

• Presentation of the project at different
  International workshops (first launch of the
  project 11.11. 2010, ICAM Conference,
  Ljubljana)
• Support by ISRBC International Sava River Basin
  Commission, Zagreb, Croatia
• Meeting with Austrian representatives of SIEMENS,
  11. 7. 2011, Ljubljana (SIEMENS supports the
  project, but is ready to invest only after its
  construction is done)
• Presentation of the project at The 11th meeting
  of the partnership for improvement of Danube
  infrastructure and navigation (PIDIN) 11th
  October, Vienna

14
How business community/private sector can be
better involved in the RELODCycle project

• Key opportunity is tourism, such as
• -Accommodation
• -Hospitality facilities (refreshment centres,
  info-spots, bike repair shops, etc.)
• -Renting bicycles and rollerblades
• -creating transnational tourist packages
• -promotion of cultural heritage
• Weakness business sector can be involved only
  after the construction of the bicycle lanes is
  finished, therefore the first part of the project
  must be supported by EU IFIs, national budget
  and local municipality budget

15
Possible financial resources for financing the
project

• Structural (ERDF) and IPA funds
• WBIF Western Balkan Investment Framework,
  priority given to Regional Impact Sectoral
  strategies EU Danube Strategy
• Financial mechanisms to support the EU Danube
  strategy EIB, EBRD and other IFIs possible
  cooperation for construction of bicycle lanes
  (bankable projects)
• National budgets, local municipality budgets

16
To summarize

• Project is realistic with technical and financial
  feasibility
• Supported by ISRBC (International Sava River
  Basin Commission, Zagreb)
• Win-win solution concept of sustainable
  transport, tourism as well as coastal zone
  management
• Bottom-up approach for cooperation between the
  metropolitan cities of Ljubljana, Zagreb,
  Belgrade
• Project can be built in phases, in terms of
  building connecting with flood protection and
  buoyancy of Sava River

17

• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

2012.. First cycling tour from LJ....
Call for Danube-Sava River Projects in favor of
....
Meeting of Mayors of Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade