Integrated Development Strategy 21+

We should not be limited by administrative boundaries. And the times when we thought so are over. The ITI tool continues in the 2021-2027 programming period. Starting in 2019, we have worked on the Integrated Development Strategy for the Brno Metropolitan Area 21+ together with existing partners and experts who were part of the first development strategy and its implementation. And as the area of the Brno Metropolitan Area has grown, new partners have joined. Whereas before we focused mainly on the effective implementation of the ITI, the new strategy is more comprehensive. We know that metropolitan cooperation makes sense even without financial support from the European Union. We have met continuously with dozens of mayors, officials, academics and other BMA experts in working groups and a steering committee to identify the priorities and goals to pursue in metropolitan development and planning after 2021. The new strategy also includes a list of integrated solutions, including specific projects. The Integrated Strategy is therefore a comprehensive document that addresses the development of the Brno Metropolitan Area through integrated solutions in the 2030 horizon. We have approximately 8 billion CZK (330 mil EUR) allocated under the ITI.

Strategy to download (only in Czech).

Managerial summary of Integrated Strategy (in English).

New strategy = new delimitation

The Brno Metropolitan Area (BMA)  has a total of 184 municipalities with approximately 720 000 inhabitants. This is about 60% of the population of the South Moravian Region. The metropolitan area covers a territory of 1 978 km². The metropolitan area has grown compared to the previous period, including the city of Blansko and Vyškov and their surrounding municipalities.

A list of individual municipalities can be found here.

Detailed map of Brno Metropolitan Area 21+.

Interesting facts

• BMA covers more than ¼ of the municipalities of the South Moravian Region;
• In the BMA there are 21 municipalities with more then 3 000 inhabitants, 97 municipalities with up to 1 000 inhabitants; 
• GDP of BMA as of 2020 was 467,5 billion CZK (76,2 % of GDP of the South Moravian Region); 
• 73 % of jobs in the South Moravian Region are located in Brno Metropolitan Area. 

The principle of delimitation

For the period after 2020, a unified methodology for defining the metropolitan areas and agglomerations of the Czech Republic was created in agreement with all statutory cities thanks to the Ministry for Regional Development (a total of three metropolitan areas and ten agglomerations were defined).

This delimitation also servers as a basis for the implementation of national regional policy through the  Regional Development Strategy for 2021+. The area was defined on the basis of metropolitanisation processes (commuting to work, schools and other routes) and is therefore a functional area with natural links (the so-called FUA – functional urban area). Mobile operator data was used to identify the individual processes.  More information in the official document  here (only in Czech).

Vision for the development of the Brno Metropolitan Area

Our vision for 2030 is to work together to ensure that the Brno Metropolitan Area develops into a pleasant and prosperous place to live in a sustainable and balanced way . 

We want the Brno Metropolitan Area to be an area with a functional transport system, with accessible and quality public services and limiting adverse environmental impacts.

Strategy has three parts

• Analytical part: strategy background with territorial projection, analysis of problems, needs and potential of the territory and stakeholder analysis;
• Strategic part: strategic framework, development vision, overview of themes, objectives and measures, their specifications and integrated solutions;
• Implementation part: description of the management, monitoring and evaluation.  

Development areas

The themes of the strategy are grouped into four development areas: mobility, environment, public services, development coordination.

Mobility

Public transport will make travelling fast, safe and comfortable. We will connect it with other modes of transport to reduce the use of individual car transport and strengthen non-motorised transport. We will develop major and local public transport interchanges with P+R parking systems with connection to comprehensive network of cycle paths. We will complete bypasses and transit corridors outside residential areas and reduce the traffic burdens on residential areas. We will work to complete the north-south motorway link and improve conditions for long-distance rail transport. Brno Airport will become a gateway to travel to more distant regions.

This development area is divided into two themes: metropolitan/local sustainable mobility and global accessibility of BMA. These topics are further developed into goals and measures (10 in total).

Environment

We will transform the landscape to make the area more resilient to drought, sunlight and erratic rainfall. We will increase the amount of greenery in the open countryside and in settlements, in public spaces and on buildings. We will develop a system of rainwater retention for both the green space system and human use. We will strengthen the security of drinking water supply with new sources and increase the efficiency of water management. We will improve the use of local resources. We will intensify the transformation of the energy sector towards greater self-sufficiency and resource security. We will work towards a unified system of waste prevention, collection and disposal and promote the development of a circular economy.

This development area is divided into the three themes of water and landscape, waste management and modern and secure energy. These themes are further developed into objectives and measures (10 in total).

Public services

We will set up a system for sharing selected services. We will increase the cohesion and solidarity of the territory and strengthen the citizens’ perception of the whole area as a common space for quality of life. We will increase the coordination of investments in public services, taking into account the natural catchment links of Brno, micro-regional centres and other municipalities. We will address technical infrastructure and public services in a coherent manner, taking into account the functionality of individual systems. A strong position in the development of innovation and creativity will be developed. We will enhance sharing and connectivity and improve the quality of education and social services.

This development area is divided into two themes of education and training and infrastructure and services for needy/at-risk populations. These themes are further elaborated into objectives and measures (9 in total).

Development coordination

The Brno Metropolitan Area will operate on partnership cooperation. We will institutionalize the cooperation to create an environment for more effective development coordination and a stable entity for direct implementation of major development projects. We will target residential and commercial development with regard to transport, environmental and social viability and within the functionality of the wider urban area. Emphasis will be placed on balancing the development of the individual parts of the Brno Metropolitan Area with respect to both the lives of residents and economic development. Economic, social and environmental development will be balanced.

This development area is divided into three themes of development and institutional cooperation, residential and commercial development, and leisure. These themes are further developed into objectives and measures (10 in total).

Integrated solutions are at the heart of our strategy

Brno and the municipalities in its hinterland are interconnected by socio-economic relations, so the decision of one part will affect the entire metropolitan area. Therefore, the problems in the above-mentioned topics cannot be perceived in isolation and it is necessary to involve several subjects in their solution. Not only that. Each problem is complex and needs to be addressed with links to other activities.

It would be a mistake to look at the challenges and opportunities within a metropolitan area in isolation from others and want to address them individually when much more effective, integrated solutions are possible. This essentially means bringing multiple small projects together to form an overarching project – integrated solution.

An integrated solution consists of one or more strategic projects and generates more added value than in case the individual projects  would be implemented separately or uncoordinated. There are three types of integrated solutions:

1. A stand-alone unique metropolitan project that is distinctive and irreplaceable in the metropolitan area and has a significant acceleration and multiplier effect;
2. An integrated solution consisting of a set of thematically focused or implemented projects in a defined area;
3. Network integrated solution that comprehensively solves a specific problem through the implementation of a set of similar (network) projects.

The strategy contains a total of 65 integrated solutions.

The specifics are thematic cross-sectional integrated solutions that develop a specific locality, e.g. the Přízřenice development site. There are 12 such solutions in total.

The integrated solution contains a description of the solution, its integration, synergies and a list of projects and entities that will implement them. Example in Czech below.