GRAZ
Spatial and Temporal Scale:
URBAN 1 – Gries: period of 1995 - 1999
URBAN 2 – Graz West : period of 2000 - 2006
Issues and Targets:
URBAN 1 – Gries - strategy adopted:
Urban –Graz aims to improve the quality of life for the residents of the Urban-zone in Graz, and to strengthen the economic fabric of the area. To achieve this, the resources available will be used to fund an integrated package of measures, including actions to improve the quality of social fascilities and of the public domain. The programme will also provide aid for the development of small firms and for employment projects. Priority will be given to inner city renewal and development, job creation and strengthening the social network, public involvement.
a) launching of new economic activities – measures to attract businesses geared to technology and innovation, advisory and promotional measures for micro and small businesses, focusing on improving the conditions for businesses in scattered locations, formation of a cooperative buying association for local retailers in Gries, establishment of an ethnic market in the Entenplatz
b) ensuring employment of local people – a repair service and the establishment of a repair workshop for municipal equipment, the establishment of a domestic service for painting, maintenance and small repairs for council housing and for socially disadvantaged private households, a women’s employment initiative involving the identification and filling of sustainable jobs and the offer of help with qualifications which is geared to demand, the creation of jobs of young people by offering qualifications, training and practical experience.
c) the establishment of a public district day centre for elderly, the establishment of integrated social and health centre, the revitalisation of the Bad zur Sonne as municipal baths, the establishment of a refuge for children, the reorganisation of the social services through an increase in staff numbers and the integration of private organisations, intercultural linguistic support for foreign woman to help with everyday problems of language by specially trained natives and immigrants, streetworks in the form of the proposed provision of advice and support of young people at risk from drinking of drugs.
d) environment – a concentrated programme to reduce the number of individual heating facilities, a noise reduction model for residential streets, a concentrated clean air programme and environmental clean –up of companies in scattered locations. The creation of the “Oeversee park”, the building of a bridge for pedestrians.
URBAN 2 – Graz West programme revolves around four development priorities. The overall objective of the action priorities is to develop the industrial belt in Western Graz with a view to the information society into a future – oriented urban sector with a dense texture of urban functions:
Priority 1: development of the potentials of the information society – the measures included under this priority aim to introduce the structural transformation of this industrial area into a high tech site. This involves, firstly, upgrading the technical university and its surroundings to make it a public area, and supporting enterprises with an innovative orientation. Secondly, people must be prepared for the new challenges, thus support will be given to projects that facilitate access to information technology or make available purpose-oriented qualification facilities that are close to the concerned of the local enterprises.
Priority 2: future – oriented development of the urban sector – this priority aims at sustainable, ecological urban development in the fields of traffic, nearby relaxation areas, production and housing. One of the first things to be done is to eliminate the barrier effect of the railway alignments in the eligible area. Further plans involve environmentally friendly traffic networks, giving priority to pedestrian and bicycle traffic and, on the electronic level, the extension of digital communication systems.
Priority 3: communication to monitor the process – in order to complete and extend conventional information and communication techniques, this priority will involve creating an interactive monitoring process for the urban sector, based on the possibilities of digital information technology. This will help to document and visualise the process of change in Graz-West for all participants and for those who are interested. At the same time, communication will be improved between urban sectors.
Priority 4: Technical assistance measures – provision is made for technical assistance measures for the management, follow-up, evaluation and monitoring of the programme.
Key stakeholders:
municipality, land owners, inhabitants, NGOs, civic initiatives, production companies
Participation and Governance Improvement:
The managing authority responsible for URBAN 1 and URBAN 2 is the Authority for Urban Development and Urban Conservation of the Town of Graz.
Public involvement: the creation of a platform for the Urban 1 project as a forum for information and an umbrella organisation for the project, the continuous supply of information about Urban to the public, via information events, exhibitions and publications, a “River Mur Residential Area” planning unit to produce a layman’s opinion on future organisations measures.
Technical assistance: the establishment of a municipal organisation structure with outside support, the drafting of detailed plans in the context of technical assistance, joint formation of a contact group with other URBAN cities, especially the Austrian capital, Vienna, the organisation of workshops and specialist symposia.
For URBAN 2 a follow up committee will be composed of representatives of the local authorities responsible for the labour market, equal opportunities and the environment and of the social partners, provision has been made for the participation of NGOs.
Financing:
URBAN I – Gries:
Global financing plan (ECU):
Total amount: 23 410 000
European funds: 3 590 000
ERDF: 2 890 000
ESF: 7 000 000
Member state: 00
Region: 2 000 000
Municipality: 6090000
Private contribution: 11730000
Other sources: 0
Amount spent per inhab.: 2208
URBAN 2 – Graz West :
The European Union will actively participate in the renewal of the town of Graz by co-financing the Urban 2 programme for Graz-West during the project period. The total budget for this programme amounts to about 20.555 million euros, of which support to the tune of 4.2 million euros will be provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Breakdowm of Finances by priority area (in millions of Euros)
Priority area Total cost EU contribution Public aid (EC + others
development of the potentials of the information society 10.125 1.76 7.63
future – oriented development of the urban sector 7.89 1.35 6.63
communication to monitor the process 1.46 0.73 1.46
Technical assistance measures 1.08 0.36 1.08
Total 20.555 4.200 16.800
Connected Web sites:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/country
www.urban-link.at |
