Size matters: issues and challenges of local development with a special focus on small and medium sized towns in Czechia Luděk Sýkora Charles University, Faculty of Science Dept. of Social Geography and Regional Development Centre for Study of Cities and Regions
Survey of Needs Towns and municipalities in Czechia Survey: May 2017 Identification of current needs Self-identification - open questions Evaluation Whole sample Size categories Position in settlement system Achievements Problems Strengths and development potentials Possibilities to overcome limits and activate the strengths Factors of future development Inter-municipal co-operation
Settlement structure in Czechia Population No. of mumicipalities Population (1.1.2017) Proportion no. (%) Proportion population (%) 0-499 3 443 834 200 55,02% 7,89% 500-999 1 372 970 822 21,92% 9,18% 1000-2999 991 1 633 918 15,84% 15,45% 3000-9999 322 1 663 576 5,15% 15,73% 10000-19999 68 958 400 1,09% 9,06% 20000-49999 44 1 320 686 0,70% 12,48% 50000 a více 18 3 197 218 0,29% 30,22% Sum 6 258 10 578 820 100,00% 100,00%
Respondents 732 towns and municipalities 11,7 % of municipalities 43,8 % from towns and cities with population over 10 th. inhabitants 3 318 194 population 31,4 % of inhabitants 45,0 % of inhabitants towns and cities with population over 10 th. inhabitants inhabitants towns and cities with population over 10 th. inhabitants: 7,8 % from respondents
Achievements technical infrastructure education, culture, sport, health facilities revitalization with increasing population size: repairs of sacral buildings land for development tourism revitalization public transport business support
Achievements towns > 10000 Revitalization housing estates, squares, centers, public spaces Repair and reconstruction communications, sidewalks, bridges, parking Construction and modernization of schools, cultural institutions and sports centers Public transport - integrated system, priority of public transport, cycling Business support Improving governance: information systems Participation, cooperation
Problem areas Road conditions State of the pavements Cycling Traffic congestion Job opportunities Parking
Non-problem areas Integration of immigrants Recreational areas Primary school capacity Quality of education Homelessness Safety
Irrelevant areas Integration of immigrants Socially excluded localities Accessibility of high school and university Lifelong learning Homelessness
Problem areas No. of municipalities Traffic congestion Road conditions State of the pavements Cycling Job opportunities Parking
Problem areas: Population Traffic congestion Parking Socially excluded localities Qualified workforce Road conditions
+ Socially excluded + Homelessness + Integration - Services availability - Wastewater treatment - Job opportunities Pop < 3000 Pop >= 3000
Perceived problems aging population polarity of smaller municipalities aging and depopulation; lack of demand leading to the non-use and closure of services x dynamic population growth; need for development land, insufficient capacity of services
Perceived problems technical infrastructure and services; > 80% of municip. < 1000 settlement polarity of the labor market lack of job opportunities; municip. < 500 inhabitants x inadequate qualification and skills for jobs on offer; towns > 50 ths. residents
Position in settlement system ITI a IPTD Centers (towns > 50 th. inh.) Other centers (ORP) Remaining municipalities Cities and towns outside ITI and IPTD Other centers (ORP) Remaining municipalities
Depopulation Transport accessibility of centers Accessibility of secondary and tertiary education In ITI and IPTD Out ITI and IPTD
Air quality Noise Parking In ITI and IPTD Out ITI and IPTD
Traffic congestion Qualified workforce Road conditions Parking Socially excluded localities Centers of ITI and IPTD
Traffic congestion Parking Other centers in ITI and IPTD
Road conditions Parking Traffic congestion State of pavements Infrastr. for cycling Other municipalities in ITI and IPTD
Roads condition Parking Traffic congestion Qualified workforce Infrastr. for cycling Other centers outside ITI and IPTD
State of pavements Road conditions Infrastr. for cycling Job opportunities Other municipalities outside ITI and IPTD
Strengths and advantages strategic location, good accessibility and transport connectivity quality of the environment and community life (small municipalities) wide range of services (small towns) Development potential tourism development (small municipalities, small and medium-sized towns) economic development and population growth; stabilizing the population (cities over 10,000 inhabitants, especially large cities) land development and construction (smaller municipalities)
Possibilities for overcoming limits and barriers external internal transformation of local government finance (tax determination) and subsidies (more than 60% of towns and municipalities) reduction of administrative burden synergies between institutions improvement of infrastructure (especially transport) and services (almost one fifth of municipalities) more efficient use of municipal land and real estate local cooperation and communication
Inter-municipal cooperation 88.7% - cooperation with neighbouring towns and municipalities is an appropriate tool for addressing development goals and problems land use planning and development solutions for complex problems good neighborly relations bottom-up cooperation - using existing relationships and experiences, geographic proximity and similarity distrust in the top-down organized cooperation a dictate of the state and large cities, threat of forced amalgamation, administrative burdens and financial costs, impersonal relationships mistrust of small municipalities towards cities - priority to cooperation with similar-size municipalities
Factors of future development Ageing
In ITI and IPTD Out ITI and IPTD Municipalities in ITI and IPTD Ageing Suburbanization Unemployment
In ITI and IPTD Out ITI and IPTD Municipalities off ITI and IPTD Ageing Unemployment Suburbanization
SMART CITY and Creative City Smart city: 5 Cities and towns - Kutná Hora, Písek, Plzeň, Třinec, Uherské Hradiště Creative city: Brno university city of creativity and innovation Innovation: Brno and Ostrava
Summary differentiation Large differences between size categories of towns and municipalities Small inter-regional differentiation Differences between centers and other municipalities Polarity between small municipalities: in suburban areas of large cities in peripheral areas Differences between metropolitan / urban regions and other regions key themes Achievements: revitalization, construction, infrastructure, services, public transport Problems: transport and transport infrastructure, labor market, socially excluded localities Challenges: aging Cooperation: mistrust of small municipalities to cities
Luděk Sýkora Charles University Faculty of Science Dept. of Social Geography and Regional Development Centre for Study of Cities and Regions Albertov 6, 128 43 Praha 2 sykora@natur.cuni.cz https://www.natur.cuni.cz/