Mayors and vice-mayors of municipalities and cities in the Lviv agglomeration, including Lviv itself, came to exchange experiences in metropolitan strategic planning. We hosted the delegation in Brno on 6 and 7 November.
The main topic of the visit of the Ukrainian delegation was the development of metropolitan planning and metropolitan governance at the level of the Brno Metropolitan Area (BMA), which is a typical example of a monocentric metropolitan area. Such an area has one core – in our case it is the city of Brno – as a centre of services, job opportunities, education, etc. The Lviv agglomeration is in a similar situation. It comprises 18 territorial units: 7 cities, 9 urban districts and 335 municipalities located within 30 km of the city of Lviv.
The programme of the meeting included presentations and discussions on the Integrated Development Strategy of the Brno Metropolitan Area 21+, selected integrated solutions and forms of voluntary cooperation between the City of Brno, the region, municipalities and other partners. The delegation was also introduced to the Brno 2050 Strategy, the integrated transport system of the South Moravian Region, the international MECOG-CE project, as well as the projects of the revitalisation of Holásecká Lakes and the automatic sorting line of the SAKO company.
Discussions with representatives of the Brno Metropolitan Area were also an integral part of the visit. The delegation met with the Deputy Mayor of Brno Karin Podivinská and then with representatives of the municipalities of the Local Action Group (LAG) Podbrněnsko, headed by the Mayor of Branišovice Marek Sovka. Together they discussed the role and projects of the LAG Podbrněnsko – for example the Branišovice Community Centre. The discussion focused on the benefits of cooperation both within the LAG and at the level of the metropolitan area.
This was followed by a meeting with the Mayor of Židlochovice, Jan Vitula, focused on waste management and water management projects. On the second day, a discussion was held with the mayors of the smaller municipalities of BMA Bílovice nad Svitavou, Čebín, Moravany, Ochoz u Brna and Sokolnice. The mayors outlined the benefits of joining the Brno Metropolitan Area and the possibilities of establishing further cooperation with the mayors of the Lviv agglomeration. All these representatives also expressed their support not only for the Lviv agglomeration, but also for Ukraine as a whole.
The last part of the delegation’s visit included an excursion to the waste management company SAKO Brno. At the beginning, the automatic sorting line, financed through the Integrated Territorial Investment tool, was presented. Then the participants got to know in more detail the functioning of the whole company and the excursion ended with a tour of the waste incineration plant. The whole waste management system in Brno impressed the Ukrainian representatives and inspired them towards improving waste management in the Lviv agglomeration.
The visit of representatives of the Lviv agglomeration to BMA was mutually beneficial. Both sides gained new knowledge and strengthened mutual cooperation. We very much appreciate the interest of our partners from Ukraine and hope that we will also visit their territory in the future and deepen our joint partnership. The journey of the Ukrainian delegation was realised with the support of the Council of Europe’s programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine”.
Register your e-mail address to receive regular updates from the Brno Metropolitan Area.
