The capital of the Śląskie Voivodeship is the most numerous cities in the Upper Silesian conurbation. Local authorities focus on the transformation of the post-industrial center into an intelligent, innovative, integrated and international city. This city is playing a leading role within the metropolitan union. Katowice was the city that started a series of interviews conducing by ULI Poland, with the mayors of the largest Polish cities.
“ULI is a natural partner in such talks, because its overriding mission is the sustainable development of cities and responsible shaping of spatial order. We support planning and development of urban areas by sharing proven methods from around the world and we enable the exchange of experiences between business and administration representatives "- said Dorota Wysokińska-Kuzdra, Senior partner at Colliers, chairman of ULI Poland and member of the ULI Europe Executive Committee.
From a global perspective
The special guest of the first meeting of the series was Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
“The pandemic forces us to rethink our city development planning and strategy. In the front line are local authorities and local governments with whom UN-Habitat works to contain the spread of the virus, as well as to plan and build cities that are more sustainable and better responding to the challenges of the modern world, including climate change. A very good opportunity to tighten cooperation and exchange experiences will be the World City Forum scheduled for June 2022, hosted by Katowice.”- emphasized Maimunah Mohd Sharif.
Katowice on the way of transformation
The capital of the Śląskie Voivodeship has started transformations that are going to redefine its identity.
"The key area for us is the improvement of the quality of life of residents and the implementation of long-term investment projects," announced Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice.
According to the president's declaration, Katowice can count on the expansion of its transport infrastructure in the coming years, including reconstruction of DK 81 (Giszowiec and Piotrowice road junctions), reconstruction of the DTŚ exit to the east or construction of a road constituting an extension of Stęślicki street to Korfanty avenue and further to Siemianowice Śląskie and Czeladź. There are also plans to build a tram line to the south of the city and the Kostuchna transport hub. One of the key investments will also be the construction of the Katowice Gaming and Technology Hub in the area of the liquidated KWK Wieczorek mine.
“This project will involve the private sector in the area of gaming, e-sport and new technologies. We also want to obtain financing from the Just Transition Fund.’'- added the president. As he declares, the city is trying to partially compensate for the limitations in income caused by the pandemic crisis by its acquiring EU funds.
“We plan to issue municipal bonds in connection with the construction of the city stadium. We have also received funding for investments under the Local Government Investment Fund - it is PLN 65.3 million.” - added Marcin Krupa.
The city does not forget about planning
In order to run the investment efficiently, local plans and clear provisions of the land development study are also needed. - The area of land covered by planning works is almost 60 percent of the area of the city - announced the Mayor of Katowice. According to his announcements, it should be passed in the next four years, and the full coverage of the city with plans is possible within eight years. The City Hall also plans to develop a new edition of the spatial development study. It is to be ready at the turn of 2021 and 2022.
“8 Questions Around the City" is a series of virtual meetings with Mayors of the largest Polish cities. The meetings are to present the strategy and spatial policy, vision and mission of the city's development and to enable open dialogue between city authorities and representatives of the real estate industry. During these meetings, will be held discussions about the plans that city authorities have to make them safe, stable, environmentally sustainable, resistant to climate change and conducive to social inclusion, but also competitive and attractive for investors and young talents. Cycle partners are Grenberg Traurig, Mercer, ABSL, Globalworth, Skanska, Colliers, Cushman & Wakefield, DWF, Dentons, Echo Investment, Hines, MDDP and Vastint.
The hero of the next meeting will be Gdynia and next to the cyclical "Poland Annual Conference" scheduled for June 22-23, it will be the largest event organized by the Urban Land Institute in Poland this year.
The cycle's partners are Grenberg Traurig, Mercer, ABSL, Globalworth, Skanska, Colliers, Cushman & Wakefield, DWF, Dentons, Echo Investment, Hines, MDDP and Vastint.
The Urban Land Institute is an international non-profit organization and research institute whose mission is to define responsible ways of planning and developing cities, favoring the creation and strengthening of local communities. The Institute was founded in 1936 and currently has over 45,000 members around the world.
Urban Land Institute Poland has been operating in Poland since 2014, implementing initiatives enabling the exchange of experiences and opinions on the challenges faced by developers, investors, architects, town planners and local authorities.
Media contact:
Patrycja Rabińska, [email protected], 504 006 016
Daniel Gąsiorowski, [email protected], 697 766 668
