The article aims to answer the question what factors determine the possibility of instrumental use of culture for urban development. The article refers to the empirical research (conducted in 41 cities) which is based on the theory of cultural value by John Holden. According to its theoretical assumptions, the cultural value, generated by entities operating in the cultural sector and defined from the perspective of different stakeholders, is the result of three different values: institutional, instrumental and intrinsic. The research shows that the most important areas affecting the possibility of using culture for urban development are: tangible and intangible resources, cultural policy and creative capital. The most worrying problem for the possible use of culture lies in the lack of dialogue and consensus in cultural policy.
The problem examined in the paper is part of a broader reflection on public governance, especially in its territorial dimension. The author focuses mainly on the modernisation of the public sector in Poland and the world with regard to the principles of participatory democracy as evidenced by the practice of urban governance. In particular, the author focuses on one of the tools that stimulate participation, i.e. participatory budgeting, which has recently resulted in a breakthrough trend in institutional practice and which can be regarded as an innovation in public governance. The aim of the paper is to examine the impact of the implementation of participatory budgeting on governance in selected Polish cities. The whole analysis is carried out in the context of normative assumptions and the analysed problem highlights the question of the standards of good public governance, which should be respected at the local level. The paradigm adopted by the author reflects the call for the "right to the city for the citizens," i.e. an approach whereby cities should develop not only in order to support the economy but also to be able to meet people's aspirations to a better quality of life.
Podstawowym celem artykułu jest przybliżenie dwóch wzajemnie powiązanych koncepcji istotnych z perspektywy zarządzania publicznego w ramach polityki wobec starzenia się społeczeństwa na poziomie lokalnym. Pierwsza koncepcja to "inteligentne miasta", która dotyczy wykorzystania nowych technologii informacyjno-komunikacyjnych do poprawy zarządzania miastami oraz dostarczania obywatelom innowacyjnych usług publicznych. Druga koncepcja to "miasta przyjazne starzeniu się", która obejmuje optymalizację wszystkich funkcji miejskich do potrzeb wszystkich grup wiekowych oraz wykorzystanie szerokiego zaangażowania interesariuszy na rzecz poprawy jakości życia w okresie starości. Drugim celem jest wskazanie prób praktycznego wdrażania tych koncepcji w krajach Grupy Wyszehradzkiej, które w odróżnieniu od omawianych zazwyczaj w literaturze przykładów z Europy Zachodniej charakteryzują się nie tylko szybkim starzeniem się populacji, ale też niedostatkami infrastruktury. W podsumowaniu przybliżono wnioski z przeprowadzonej analizy oraz potencjalne dalsze kierunki badań.
In recent years, there has been an intense public debate about the implementation of the age-friendly cities and communities concept as well as its more recent and broader iteration related to smart healthy age-friendly environments (SHAFE). The first part of the article introduces the basic concepts and current activities of the European Commission in the area of promoting intergenerational dialogue and programming intergenerational relations policies. This discussion is followed by concise analyses of case studies focused on selected social innovation projects and methodologies aimed at: (1) empowering facilitators of the concepts of age-friendly cities and communities as well as smart, healthy and inclusive environments; (2) facilitating citizens, especially older people, to deal with public health crises; and (3) supporting the voice of senior citizens in deciding on the goals and objectives of public policies (co-design), their implementation (governance, co-delivery/co-production of public services) as well as their monitoring and evaluation (co-assessment). The final section contains recommendations for selected entities responsible for public policies on ageing and suggestions for further research directions.
The aim of the article is to assess city offices' involvement in creating proper conditions for inhabitants to cooperate with the usage of various forms and tools of social participation. The research results show that cities with poviat rights in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship use social participation because they are well acquainted with the benefits it provides. They collect inhabitants' opinions and at the same time it provides them with information of public character in the sphere of local government functioning. Public consultations are carried out as a sign of cooperation and local communities can co-decide on certain issues concerning public life. Cooperation with non-governmental organizations in many areas is also undertaken and citizens' initiatives are supported. Additionally, local authorities use civil budgets to mobilize citizens to act for a given territorial unit development.
The foreign activity (paradiplomacy) of local governments is one of the elements of Polish foreign policy and one of the dimensions of contemporary international relations. This paper presents the re sults of the investigations concerning foreign activity of Polish regions and cities with China. Studies have shown, that China is the most frequently chosen direction of activity of Polish local governments among all non-European countries. ; Aktywność zagraniczna (paradyplomacja) samorządów terytorialnych jest jednym z elementów polskiej polityki zagranicznej oraz jednym z wymiarów współczesnych stosunków międzynarodowych. Artykuł prezentuje rezultaty badań współpracy polskich samorządów z Chinami, które są najczęściej wybieranym kierunkiem spośród wszystkich państw pozaeuropejskich.
Aktywność zagraniczna (paradyplomacja) samorządów terytorialnych jest jednym z elementów polskiej polityki zagranicznej oraz jednym z wymiarów współczesnych stosunków międzynarodowych. Artykuł prezentuje rezultaty badań współpracy polskich samorządów z Chinami, które są najczęściej wybieranym kierunkiem spośród wszystkich państw pozaeuropejskich. ; The foreign activity (paradiplomacy) of local governments is one of the elements of Polish foreign policy and one of the dimensions of contemporary international relations. This paper presents the re sults of the investigations concerning foreign activity of Polish regions and cities with China. Studies have shown, that China is the most frequently chosen direction of activity of Polish local governments among all non-European countries.
Despite one of the fastest rates of economic growth among the European Union countries in 2010-2019, Poland did not experience any significant improvement in meeting the housing needs of less affluent households. The stock of municipal housing is characterised by low availability and a high degree of asset depreciation as well as growing rent arrears. In the face of the upcoming economic downturn caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, the implementation of municipal tasks in the field of housing will be further hindered. To prevent this, the authors present a number of recommendations for regulatory changes for local government units and central institutions that will improve the implementation of the state's housing policies in the field of municipal housing.
In Poland, similarly to other countries, there is no unambiguous agreed explanation to the reasons for the observed decline in crime. The article analyses the impact of video monitoring systems on losses caused by three categories of offenses: (a) car theft, theft with burglary, theft from cars; (b) damage to cars; (c) robbery. To answer the question whether the installation of video surveillance systems has an impact on security, the economic effect of installing cameras in eight Polish cities (Gdańsk, Katowice, Kielce, Lublin, Łódź, Poznań, Warszawa, Wrocław), where video surveillance systems are well developed, is examined. Determining whether the installation of cameras contributes to the reduction of losses caused by crime allows assessing the suitability of cameras for improving public safety. The study partially confirms the effectiveness of video monitoring systems for a decrease in crime in the analysed categories of crime. However, other possible factors, in addition to the development of monitoring, may have an impact. Moreover, the impact is less pronounced in the case of the volume of losses caused by crime than the number of crimes. Thus, when assessing public policies regarding security, the number of offenses criterion is insufficient.
Electronic participatory budgeting is becoming an important element of social consultations. The legal ground for its operation at the municipal level is provided in Article 5a of the Act of municipal self-government. The organisation of participatory budgeting is a manifestation of direct democracy that allows citizens to express their approval or disapproval of the actions taken by local authorities. It also reflects the level of citizen e-participation in public life. In Poland e-participation is still at a developing stage and therefore needs to be further researched in comparative studies. This article is an attempt to determine whether in the largest cities in Poland e-participation is used in voting on city budgets and if the answer if in the affirmative, which e-tools are available and used, and to what extent. By analysing relevant and applicable legislation, the possibility of electronic filing of projects as well as the number of e-voters have been researched. All budgeting processes taking place in Warszawa, Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław and Poznań since 2015, when the project started, have been examined. Citizen participatory budgeting as such started in Poland in 2011. However, the largest cities continue to encounter difficulties in their proper implementation. Resorting to electronic tools has not helped much, what is more, some municipal bodies, for the sake of least complexity, sometimes resign even from the use of electronic signature. If this is the case, a question may be asked about the reason for such poor e-participation of Polish citizens in this one of the few anyway, forms of e-participation available in Poland. ; Electronic participatory budgeting is becoming an important element of social consultations. The legal ground for its operation at the municipal level is provided in Article 5a of the Act of municipal self-government. The organisation of participatory budgeting is a manifestation of direct democracy that allows citizens to express their approval or disapproval of the actions taken by local authorities. It also reflects the level of citizen e-participation in public life. In Poland e-participation is still at a developing stage and therefore needs to be further researched in comparative studies. This article is an attempt to determine whether in the largest cities in Poland e-participation is used in voting on city budgets and if the answer if in the affirmative, which e-tools are available and used, and to what extent. By analysing relevant and applicable legislation, the possibility of electronic filing of projects as well as the number of e-voters have been researched. All budgeting processes taking place in Warszawa, Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław and Poznań since 2015, when the project started, have been examined. Citizen participatory budgeting as such started in Poland in 2011. However, the largest cities continue to encounter difficulties in their proper implementation. Resorting to electronic tools has not helped much, what is more, some municipal bodies, for the sake of least complexity, sometimes resign even from the use of electronic signature. If this is the case, a question may be asked about the reason for such poor e-participation of Polish citizens in this one of the few anyway, forms of e-participation available in Poland.
Electronic participatory budgeting is becoming an important element of social consultations. The legal ground for its operation at the municipal level is provided in Article 5a of the Act of municipal self-government. The organisation of participatory budgeting is a manifestation of direct democracy that allows citizens to express their approval or disapproval of the actions taken by local authorities. It also reflects the level of citizen e-participation in public life. In Poland e-participation is still at a developing stage and therefore needs to be further researched in comparative studies. This article is an attempt to determine whether in the largest cities in Poland e-participation is used in voting on city budgets and if the answer if in the affirmative, which e-tools are available and used, and to what extent. By analysing relevant and applicable legislation, the possibility of electronic filing of projects as well as the number of e-voters have been researched. All budgeting processes taking place in Warszawa, Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław and Poznań since 2015, when the project started, have been examined. Citizen participatory budgeting as such started in Poland in 2011. However, the largest cities continue to encounter difficulties in their proper implementation. Resorting to electronic tools has not helped much, what is more, some municipal bodies, for the sake of least complexity, sometimes resign even from the use of electronic signature. If this is the case, a question may be asked about the reason for such poor e-participation of Polish citizens in this one of the few anyway, forms of e-participation available in Poland. ; 1 ; 13 ; 129 ; 147 ; 6 ; Studia Prawa Publicznego
Cohesion policy has a significant influence on the form of investments in cities. This refers, in particular, to states that participate in cohesion policy and those that do not have a significant own development policy. The paper presents the results of the analysis of the possibilities to support towns and cities and their functional areas in the 2021-2027 financial framework in the context of the previous approach of the European Union to the development of urban areas and solving their problems. It is worth noting that the Euro-pean Union has wide experience in this area, dating back to the URBAN Pilot Projects and URBAN initiatives. The author also analyses the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine on the potential support for cities in the 2021-2027 perspective. The proposed conditions and instruments were also referred to the needs of towns and cities and the challenges that they are currently facing.
Representation of interests of the region in international forums is an extremely important element in supporting and accelerating the development of local and regional communities. The cooperation of various entities, including cities and other territorial structures, contributes to overcoming the weaknesses of the various regions and the use of existing opportunities. Some regional and cross-border structures can cope fairly well and work out an effective model for the representation of common interests, while others have big problems. The main goal of the proposed analysis is to verify the thesis that the UBC (Union of the Baltic Cities, UBC) can effectively promote the interests of the Baltic region and contributes to overcoming the weaknesses of the region and using existing opportunities, through various joint actions. It is worth remembering that the UBC is an active cooperation network of over 100 member cities and was founded in order to develop cooperation and exchange of experiences between the member cities. The fundamental UBC goal is to strive for democratic, economic, social, cultural and environmental development of the Baltic Sea region. The UBC has been brought to life at the Founding Conference, held in Gdansk on 19-20 September 1991, during which representatives of 32 cities signed the Declaration expressing a wish to create an organization of Baltic cities. Long-term cooperation of this cross-border operating structure is, therefore, an excellent opportunity to try the assessment of its achievements. ; Reprezentacja interesów regionu na forum międzynarodowym jest niezwykle ważnym elementem wspierania i przyspieszania rozwoju społeczności lokalnych i regionalnych. Współdziałanie różnych podmiotów, w tym miast oraz innych struktur terytorialnych, przyczynia się do przezwyciężania słabości tkwiących w poszczególnych regionach i wykorzystywania istniejących szans. Niektóre struktury regionalne i transgraniczne radzą sobie dość dobrze i wypracowują skuteczny model reprezentacji wspólnych interesów, inne z kolei mają z tym spore problemy. Celem zasadniczym zaproponowanej analizy jest próba zweryfikowania tezy, iż Związek Miast Bałtyckich (Union of the Baltic Cities, UBC) pozwala skutecznie wspierać interesy regionu bałtyckiego i przyczynia się do przezwyciężania słabości tkwiących w tymże regionie oraz wykorzystywania istniejących szans, dzięki różnym wspólnym działaniom. Warto przypomnieć, że Związek Miast Bałtyckich jest aktywną siecią współpracy ponad 100 miast członkowskich, powstałą w celu rozwijania współpracy i wymiany doświadczeń pomiędzy miastami członkowskimi. Nadrzędnym celem ZMB jest dążenie do demokratycznego, gospodarczego, społecznego, kulturalnego, jak i przyjaznego dla środowiska rozwoju regionu Morza Bałtyckiego. Związek Miast Bałtyckich został powołany do życia na konferencji założycielskiej, która odbyła się w Gdańsku, w dniach 19-20 września 1991 roku, podczas której przedstawiciele 32 miast podpisali deklarację wyrażającą wolę utworzenia organizacji zrzeszającej miasta bałtyckie. Wieloletnia współpraca stanowi zatem doskonałą okazję do próby oceny dokonań tej struktury działającej ponad granicami państw.
The Industrial Monuments Route of the Silesian Voivodeship is a cultural route that does not follow a strictly defined course and consists of several dozen sites scattered throughout the Silesian Voivodeship. Its functioning, which results from the strategic assumptions of the Silesian Voivodeship authorities, drives tourist traffic in its facilities, which often also operate on a commercial basis, which affects the interest in tourism in the region, including the need for tourists-consumers to use products offered within the framework of tourism economy of the Silesian Voivodeship. The aim of the study is to assess the offer of goods and services used by tourists on the described cultural route and its relationship with the needs reported by these consumers. The degree of fulfillment of these needs was tested during direct research on the Industrial Monuments Route. The survey took place in the period May-August 2019 in the form of a direct interview with consumers visiting several selected facilities of the Route. The degree of fulfillment of the reported needs and the level of accessibility to goods and services on the Industrial Monuments Route were largely assessed as at least sufficient. Some of them still require improvement, which may be a signpost for the local government officials of the Metropolis GZM (pol. Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolia) cities and municipalities on the one hand, and for entrepreneurs offering their products near the Industrial Monuments Route on the other hand.