STRATEGY
Strategic Plan 2011-2014
The public sector is currently under pressure from many sides. In order to meet these challenges, it is important to exchange knowledge and experiences, prepare best practices and to collaborate directly among the municipalities – and that is was The Edge Cities Network is all about. The Edge Cities have identified many common economic, social and environmental issues and are all confronting the impact of the global economy. They are seeking to respond to these challenges in different ways, but also recognize that there is a great deal of experience that can be shared and new ideas and methods can be learned from one another.
In this context, The Edge Cities Network will need to focus on a number of selected strategic topics and organizational initiatives. These themes and initiatives should be designed to improve the work, projects and further development of the Edge Cities Network and in this way strengthening the local government in the partner municipalities to the benefit of the citizens.
European Edge Cities Network has agreed the following focus areas:
1. Efficient and Effective local government
2. Economic development/Competitiveness
2.1. Education and Innovation
Education is a key condition for citizens’ ability to thrive and manage in today’s knowledge economy. You will have to develop a number of different skills to make you act in and shape tomorrow’s society. ICT, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills are essential as well as the skills within mathematics, science and engineering is fundamental for ensuring technical innovation.
This makes demands on the education given by the local authorities. The development of modern knowledge economies has increased the importance of education policies and demands efficiency and effectiveness in the use of resources.
Furthermore, in today’s globalized world innovation and new initiatives are required by everyone – also the municipalities. The global development makes new demands to the policies of the Edge Cities. The partners of the Network must be conscious about the role of their own capital-region in the global scene. The partners will have to use all kinds of human competence and qualification present in our local community.
The European Edge Cities Network will focus on how the partner municipalities can be prepared for the challenges of a globalized society and a knowledge-based economy. The Network will exchange knowledge and work together within different ways of improving education and innovation in the edge cities.
2.2. Development of Tourism and Experience Economy in the Edge Cities
3. Citizen and Youth Participation
3.1 Citizen Participation
As stated in the Governance and Citizen Consultation and Participation Conference’s issue paper (EECN Brussels meeting November 2006), citizen consultation and participation have become highly relevant and is indeed a core issue in developing local democracy. It is recommended by the OECD that the interaction between the citizen and the government is strengthening – but it is as well both a demand and a wish among the citizens and the public institutions themselves.
The Edge Cities Network will focus on how the partners are working with citizen participation and consultation, and how the interaction can be further strengthened
3.2. Children and Youth Participation
“A direct way to foster a next generation of conscious and committed citizens as well as the next generations of local politicians”. This was stated during the presentation of the Fingal Youth Council at the Governance and Citizen Consultation and participation Conference in Brussels, November 2006. The involvement and commitment of children and young people are of great importance for the development and progress of the future local communities. Furthermore, the new ideas and activities of children and young people are contributing to engender innovation and change.
The Edge Cities Network will focus on how the partners are involving and cooperating with the children and young people. The partners will exchange ideas and knowledge within this field, and get to learn about the different initiatives and results of the Edge Cities municipalities.
4. Green Edge Cities
Combating climate change without undermining economic growth and welfare is one of the greatest imperatives for local governments to address. The role of local authorities is to encourage reduction of CO2 emissions, expansion of renewable energy and promotion of energy savings.
The Edge Cities Network wish to exchange knowledge and to share experiences about strategies to promote green, sustainable cities, and to identify how the green and energy efficient city can add important urban growth, environmental value and positive identity to the Edge City.
The method will be to pool existing resources and mechanisms and to develop multifaceted partnership strategies between City Council, energy providers, social and private housing societies, SMEs and universities.