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Description
Project is needed to improve urban life’s quality,face demographic/environmental challenges and promote city effectively as a place attractive to local residents/tourists alike.Main challenges/problems:condition of the environment/air quality;negative depopulation trends;city’s business development dynamic;attractiveness/accessibility of urban spaces;local residents identification with city,overall competency level of local gov. officials, operational quality standards,accessibility of public services.Problems addressed by:climate change adaptation plan for Jelenia Góra Agglomeration,ecological education campaign targeting the local community/reconstructing the paved surface of historical city centre,including works to eliminate barriers for persons with disabilities/developing new,attractive green zones (by expanding green zones in the center,creating Bicycle Station across the River Bóbr)/occupational/career counselling at schools/occupation/career fairs/series of meetings for students of local schools/series of meetings with local businesses/training courses with a focus on opening and running private businesses and entrepreneurship for businesses/series of meetings at educational facilities with a focus on local identity and regionalism/series of meetings between city Mayor-Jelenia Góra’s/ residents/designing and delivering the “Trail of the Deer”/Movi-Cities Festival.General improvement of urban life’s quality for all local residents and tourists alike by:designing attractive educational, cultural and entertainment offer for the local community,especially for young people/economic development of the city/ improving the quality and accessibility of public services and social infrastructure.Partnership: knowledge and experience transfer through meetings,workshops in the area of:geothermal resources-related research/ municipal tourism promotion friendly and ecological public spaces/civil society and local development/young people’s education in municipal matters.
Summary of project results
The activities carried out within the project ‘Live, reside, work in Jelenia Góra!’ have been planned on the basis of the problems identified in the diagnosis of the city of Jelenia Góra, i.a.:
1. demographic dimension
Among the compared cities with county rights, Jelenia Góra was characterised by the smallest percentage share of the population in the pre-working age - 14.4% and the largest percentage share of the population in the post-working age in the total population - 28%. Taking into account the fact that the population in the productive age currently accounts for 57.5% of the city''s population, the problem of population ageing and lack of replacement of generations became noticeable. The city''s declining population is caused, among other things, by a negative natural increase and a negative migration balance.
In a survey conducted among secondary school graduates in 2020, over 58% of students responded that Jelenia Góra was not a good place for them to live and develop, and that it was a city for older people (65% of responses).
2. Economic dimension
Statistics and surveys have shown that Jelenia Góra’s residents are keen to be active and start businesses, which is evidenced by the very high number of enterprises in the city and the fact that there are more and more new ones. The problem, however, is maintaining the activity on the market.
Another problem reported by entrepreneurs is the insufficient number of potential employees with appropriate education and/or qualifications.
3. Social dimension
Only 12% of graduates indicated that career counselling is a strong point of the secondary school they currently attend, cooperation with other schools and universities was indicated by 21% of the respondents as a strong point of the school, and internships, work placements, activities showing how to put knowledge into practice and cooperation with enterprises - only 32%.
4. Environmental dimension
Analysis of Jelenia Góra''s situation showed that although a special feature of the city is a large share of legally protected areas in the municipality''s area in comparison with the average in the comparison group and a very high forest cover index, there is a shortage of parks, greens and green areas in the municipality''s area. In this respect, Jelenia Góra performs particularly unfavourably, with the area of greenery in the city being approximately 41% lower than the average in the comparison group.
Also steadily deteriorating air quality was an issue identified at the stage of municipal diagnosis. The problem is sufficiently significant to have become a risk of the city losing the spa status of Cieplice - Jelenia Góra district. Action taken by municipal authorities to date have yielded no measurable outcomes for reasons of Jelenia Góra’s location in the heart of the mountain range-surrounded Jelenia Góra Basin.
Activities implemented under the project from 2021 to 2024 were designed to address the diagnosed needs and developmental gaps of the City of Jelenia Góra, aiming to achieve the strategic objectives.
These activities were categorised into investment and non-investment initiatives.
The execution of project activities was facilitated through an intergovernmental and cross-sectoral partnership
1. Investments
- The reconstruction of the pavement of the historic city centre with the removal of barriers for the disabled
- A creation of a new meeting place for residents and local trade in the former Flora marketplace – stage I – cleaning up the area
- Young Stage – construction of an outdoor stage in Jelenia Góra’s Błonie
- Replenishing the greenery in the city centre
- Bicycle station in Zabobrzańska
- The creation of the "Jelonek Trail"
- Uniform queue system for the City of Jelenia Góra
2. Non-investment initiatives
- The development of the Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change of the Jelenia Góra Agglomeration
- Conducting an architectural competition for the development of the area, leading to the selection of a contractor for a detailed architectural concept, guidelines for updating the local spatial development plan, and a functional-utility program for part of the former marketplace, Flora
- Drawing up the City Development Strategy
- Planning and conducting an information and educational campaign for the City of Jelenia Góra, Góra, which will increase the awareness of residents about public services provided by the City
- Movi Cities Festival – Festival of Light
- Business breakfasts – a series of meetings between local entrepreneurs and city authorities
- Dissemination of good practices – pilot meetings for employees of public institutions of the Jelenia Góra Agglomeration
- Development and implementation of standards for documents programming the development of the City of Jelenia Góra
- Training for the employees of the City Hall of Jelenia Góra and organisational units
- Development and implementation of „The rules of public consultations”
- Development and implementation of the "Plan of Cooperation of the City Hall of Jelenia Góra with stakeholders
- Organisation and organisation of cyclical, quarterly meetings of the Mayor of Jelenia Góra with residents and non-governmental organisations
- initiatives pertaining to the ecological education of Jelenia Góra residents:
- Guided tours led by specialists, including ornithologists, botanists, entomologists, and geologists, aimed at familiarising participants with the natural treasures of the Jelenia Góra area
- Sewing workshops titled "Rework – Don’t Throw Away" and carpentry workshops titled "Repair – Don’t Throw Away" promoting recycling and advocating against a consumerist shopping approach
- Hiking sessions with poles tailored for seniors and their families, along with snowshoeing expeditions open to all, promoting a healthy lifestyle and fostering a connection with nature
- Amphibian protection efforts involving the relocation of amphibians across roadways during the spring migration to breeding sites
- production of five educational films highlighting the history of Jelenia Góra and its natural and scenic advantages. The films were showcased during educational sessions focusing on local identity and regionalism for students from schools and kindergartens in Jelenia Góra, including integrated kindergartens
- Tasks aimed at enhancing the economic potential and fostering entrepreneurship in Jelenia Góra through various initiatives:
- Providing career counselling sessions for students attending primary schools in Jelenia Góra,
- Organising career fairs facilitating interactions between students and local entrepreneurs in Jelenia Góra,
- Conducting training sessions for business entities, covering topics such as financial management and legal formalities associated with business operations, emerging trends in online marketing, cost optimisation strategies, and customer relationship management,
- Delivering entrepreneurship training programs focusing on the setup and management of businesses,
- Offering training programs designed for individuals approaching retirement age, aimed at enhancing their skills or facilitating career transitions. This includes courses in the English language, human resources and payroll management, driving license acquisition for categories C and D, and training in public procurement procedures,
- Providing computer courses tailored for senior citizens, enabling them to enhance their digital literacy skills
The project’s activities were aimed at all residents, with a particular focus on young people and those with special needs, such as the elderly and/or disabled, as well as tourists visiting the city. As a result of the project implementation, the following results have been achieved
- new investments meeting accessibility standards and increasing architectural accessibility of Jelenia Góra City Hall buildings
- an increase in the area of cultural/sports and recreation infrastructure facilities and the number of built, rebuilt or modernised places enabling joint activity of inhabitants, spending free time and developing interests
- increasing green areas in the urban space
- environmental education for residents to improve awareness of the need to protect and care for the environment
- improving the visibility of the city and the sense of local identity
- encouraging young people to participate in vocational education and training or apprenticeships/internships in local businesses
- supporting the development of entrepreneurship among residents
- implementing institutional solutions aimed at improving and raising the standard of operations at the local government level
- training of local government employees in the field of improving public services provided
- a technological solution (queuing system) was implemented to make it easier for residents to use the services provided by the City of Jelenia Góra
- a new mechanism of public participation was developed (Rules of Social Consultation and Cooperation with Stakeholders)
Summary of bilateral results
As part of bilateral cooperation of the project "Live, Reside, Work in Jelenia Góra!", four study visits were organized – two to Jelenia Góra and two to Akureyri. These visits provided young people from both countries with the opportunity to discuss their involvement in social life, participate in city management, and contribute to its development. They also served as a platform for dialogue, where cultural similarities and differences were observed, and friendly relations were established, which persisted beyond the conclusion of the project. Moreover, the study visits of city representatives served as a forum for exchanging knowledge and experiences in municipal management, as well as sharing best practices for addressing challenges encountered in local government structures and enhancing the quality of life for residents. It is anticipated that this cooperation will endure beyond the conclusion of the project.