Networks and cities' news

Former military areas as hubs for urban innovation

The development of a series of Integrated Action Plans (IAPs) for the reuse of the former military assets, but also in the development of real innovative solutions, to encourage the use of this particular type of heritage are the main focuses of the MAPS project. At the same time, MAPS involves diverse stakeholders in the design and in the implementation of the IAPs through actions such as Open days, sport events (for professionals and amateurs), awareness raising at city level of the military heritage, involvement of the local schools to strengthen the ongoing project in the city.

Rediscovering former military sites through public events

Would a strategic approach towards Local Economic Development make small cities more resilient?

Small cities are often at a higher risk for the negative impacts of global trends that lead to economic downturns. At the same time, they are the places where a significant percentage of the population of the European Union live and work. So how can we address development problems and opportunities at the local level through contextualization of global consequences and locally available resources? How can we develop resilient local governments in an age when the world is faced with a global pandemic and some cities are facing economic crisis? According to the principles of Local Economic Development (LED), local development should be approached strategically and inclusively, and challenging decisions should be guided by sustainability goals. 

This article is a follow-up to a Masterclass in Local economic development organised by the iPlace Project, a network of 10 small cities who examine opportunities for new local development and aim to find niches which will create potential for future economic growth.

Engaging SMEs to participate in public procurement: Koszalin’s Key Challenges

Statistics from the European Union, Poland and local analyses by the City of Koszalin demonstrate that still a low percentage of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises that dominate the economic landscape participate in public procurement. The reasons include low awareness on the part of entrepreneurs as well as complex and difficult public procurement law; these are the key challenges that we should seek answers to. 

Rethinking public procurement for SMEs: Making Spend Matter partners explore why business size does in fact matter.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dominate the private sector and contribute to strong, inclusive local economies. However, too often their ability to access public procurement opportunities is hindered by procurement eco-systems that fail to acknowledge the challenges that SMEs confront, or the contribution they make.

10 Reasons Why…. Cities Should Interpret Their Spend Analysis

At the second Transnational Meeting of the Making Spend Matter Network held in Kavala in June 2019, our partners shared how they have used the Spend Analysis Methodology to understand the procurement spend of their own Municipalities by geography, by sector, and in business type terms.

Spend Analysis as a tool for better use of resources in times of crisis.

At the start of 2020, the finances of many Polish local councils were in a difficult condition due to the need to incur large investment expenditures, because of an underestimation of the costs of the delivery of public services commissioned, such as education, or losses in the revenues of municipalities resulting from central government tax reforms. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated these problems because the method adopted to combat the virus, which consists in the economic lockdown, led to a serious recession.

The times of crisis force us to look more closely at our spend and internal resources, and to seek ways of increasing their benefits to the economy and society. One such tool is the public spend analysis according to the methodology of the City of Preston, implemented after the global financial crisis. An effective implementation of this good practice requires cooperation between all the parties involved in the process, both procurers and entrepreneurs.