EUROCITIES Economic Development Forum

10/03/2012-10/05/2012

Latvia, Rīga

select language:  




    EUROCITIES Economic Development Forum

    CREATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGRATED CITY DEVELOPMENT


    Europe in my city – connecting with EUROCITIES

    3 - 5 October 2012, Riga

    Start 17.00 on 3 October and end 14.00 on 5 October



    It is challenging to plan the growth of the metropole in the fields of economy as well as in territorial development, due to the many stakeholders’ interest that should be combined in the best way possible. City officials need new approaches to this process.
    EUROCITIES Economic development forum will be linked to the 10th European Week of Regions and Cities (Brussels 8-11 October, 2012). It will be dedicated to ‘planning together - new approaches to integrated city development’, planning together with the private sector and also planning together with citizens. We will hear examples from Riga, Glasgow, Munich and other European metropolitan areas, that might be used for inspiration to strengthen the creativity of city officials in finding solutions to combining the interests of entrepreneurs, workers, scientists, artists and every citizen living in the area.

    Wednesday 3 October (start 17.00 – end 22.00)
    17.00-18.30Update session on Cohesion Policy
    (this will not be a formal working group with working session but an opportunity to find out more on EUROCITIES influencing work on cohesion policy – there will be a working group meeting in Brussels on 19 September)
    Venue: Hotel Bergs, conference room
    18.30-19.00Steering Committee (for EDF steering committee members only)
    Venue: Hotel Bergs, conference room
    19.30-22.00Informal dinner, networking
    Venue: Hotel Bergs, conference room

    Thursday 4 October(start 8.30 – finish 21.30)
    Venue: Riga City Council

    8.30-9.00Registration
    9.00-9.30Opening of the conference:
    Presentation of Riga economic profile
    9.30-10.301) Reaching integrated urban development through support for businesses

    The Entrepreneurial spirit of European Union citizens has always been a significant element of the prosperity of cities’ economy. However, statistics show that only a small number of the population is willing to take business risks and become an entrepreneur. Many European cities and metropolitan areas are taking measures to encourage people to start up business, despite the limited budgets and capacity of municipalities. This part of the Forum will be dedicated to the experiences and different forms of support for starting up a new business - creative techniques of support, innovative business ideas and related topics.

    Moderator: Haralds Burkovskis


    Panel debate:

    Daniils Rulovs, Member of the Board, SWEDBANK Latvia (grant programme “Atsperiens” in cooperation with Riga city Council)

    Rihards Zarins, Head of the Incubator “Creative Andrejsala”(name tbc) (supporting creative entrepreneurship in the incubator “Creative Andrejsala”)

    Glasgow (invited), (Glasgow Business Portal: developed to maximise access to both public and private sector procurement opportunities for SMEs)

    Presentation of URBACT project Creative Spin (it aims to connect creative industries with other economic sectors to stimulate “spillover” effects)
    Mohammed Zahir - Head of Business Enterprise and Innovation, Birmingham City Council
    10.30-10.50Coffee Break
    10.50-11.502) Reaching integrated urban development through synergies between public private initiatives in planning

    Looking for compromises among the interests of different groups living within the metropole is one of the main targets of local governments. But where is the consensus? How to take into an account the interests of the majority and not only the interests of the groups that express their opinion the loudest? This second session will be dedicated to involving citizens in city planning and development processes: the opportunities of expressing opinions concerning new territorial development projects.

    Moderator – Mr. Andis Kublacovs, Chairman of the board of the Latvian Association of Spatial Planners

    Panel debate:

    Guntars Ruskuls, Deputy Head of Strategic Planning Board (Initiatives “Neighborhoods” and “Create Riga”)

    Janis Dinne, Member of the Board of society ‘Rigas Spikeri’ (transformation of rundown storage houses into a cultural life center)

    Peter Austin, Planning Advisor, City of Oslo

    Munich (invited)

    Video or presentation:
    Janis Erts, representative of portal www.manabalss.lv – social initiative platform (Case study – how to actually hear and engage stakeholders? Initiative that Barack Obama recognised as being outstanding)
    11.50-12.50Presentation of Report on social mobility in European cities

    As part of our operational programme with the Commission's DG EMPL, EUROCITIES in Spring 2012 commissioned the Centre for Urban Policy Studies from the University of Manchester to review the data and research on social mobility in European cities: to explore how far we could test the thesis that cities provide the 'infrastructure' for social mobility - ie. people move to cities to improve their life chances,... The researchers have reached draft conclusions which we are interested to share with economic development practitioners from our member cities.

    Moderator: Paul Bevan, EUROCITIES Secretary General

    - Presentation of Report
    by Centre for Urban Policy Studies, University of Manchester

    - Discussion with the audience
    12.50-13.45Lunch
    Venue: Riga City Council Cafe
    13.45-15.45Orientation tour
    Meeting point: Ratsquare / monument next to parking-lot

    Bus 1: Riga city recent development sites (Guide: Andis Kublacovs)
    Bus 2: Architectural heritage of city and creative districts (Guide: Janis Lejnieks)
    15.45-16.00Coffee break
    16.00-19.00Seminar organised by WG Integrated urban development

    Theme: Climate neutral design

    - Presentations by Lille (tbc), Stockholm, Munich and GDF Suez

    - discussion    		Seminar: Cities supporting women entrepreneurship

    - Keynote speech by Josefa Sanchez from Enterprising women programme Barcelona Activa

    - Concrete examples from cities, including Birmingham (name TBC)

    - Roundtable discussion with EDF members and women entrepreneurs from Riga

    - Conclusions and recommendations
    19.30-21.30Dinner
    Venue: restaurant "Kalku Varti"

    Friday October 5th (start 8.30 – finish 14.00)
    Venue: Hotel Bergs, conference room & gallery hall
    8.30-9.00Welcome coffee
    9.00-11.00In parallel: 2 working groups meeting
        1) WG Innovation
        Venue: Hotel Bergs, conference room
        2) WG Metropolitan Areas
        Venue: Hotel Bergs, Gallery hall
    11.00-11.15Coffee Break
    11.15-13.00Business meeting
    1) Opening
    - approval of the draft agenda
    - approval of minutes, EDF Business meeting Amsterdam June 2012

    2) Debriefing on the conference and seminars of Thursday 4 October

    3) Report by EDF WGs on achievements in 2012

    4) New WG proposals for 2013 and new URBACT projects leaded by EUROCITIES members
    Presentation of URBACT project Creative Spin
    by Mohammed Zahir - Head of Business Enterprise and Innovation, Birmingham City Council

    Presentation of URBACT project CSI Europe
    by Paul Evans, Manchester City Council (tbc)
    5) Briefing on project opportunities

    6) Election EDF Chair and vice-Chair 2013

    7) EDF priorities for 2013 and EDF working groups in 2013

    8) EUROCITIES update, including Annual Conference Nantes, 7-9 November 2013

    9) Update on latest EU developments concerning economic development
    10) EDF meetings in 2013
    13.00-14.00Lunch - Hotel Bergs restaurant
    13.00-13.30Steering Committee (for EDF steering committee members only)
    Venue: Hotel Bergs, Gallery hall

    WD 00 Draft programme EDF Riga 3-5 October 2012 final.docWD 00 Draft programme EDF Riga 3-5 October 2012 final.doc