In a globalized world, how to make Ukrainian cities sustainable and competitive

September 19, 2019, at the Building of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, was held a Roundtable on the following topic: Development and implementation of the plans on the regeneration of the cities: the best international experience and opportunities for Ukraine, where experts were suggesting solutions on how to make Ukrainian cities sustainable and competitive. The event was held as a part of the preparation for the Second International EXPO Congress "Business for Smart Cities"-2020, supported by the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine, the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine, the City Development Fund and the Association of Ukrainian Cities.
 
The participants of the Roundtable were: First Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine Dmytro Zhyvytsky, Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities Oleksandr Slobozhan, Ambassador of Spain in Ukraine Silvia Josefina Cortés Martín, Chairman of the Board of the City Development Fund Volodymyr Pirus, President of the IdenCity, Mayor of Barcelona from 2006 till 2011, Jordi Hereu, General Manager of Ardana Consultants, Founder PPP for Cities, Consultant in PPPs, Project Finance and investment analysis, Eva Bufi, Director of the Urban Quality and Mobility Department (Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain) Víctor Martínez del Rey, and others.
 
“Such global and crucial processes are now happening, that it is dangerous for our cities and country as a whole to stay aside. According to the experts, by 2050, the population of the cities will have risen up to 80%. This means that the competition between countries will take a back seat, and the main fight for the resources will unfold between cities.
The only way to preserve Ukrainian cities is to dramatically change the ways of their development. By this I mean, to use  extrabudgetary resources to develop their own infrastructure. We are talking about various and efficient mechanisms of engaging business into development of cities – mainly it’s PPP, when the country and business work together to develop and increase the competitiveness of cities” – declared the co-organizer of the Roundtable, Chairman of the Board of the City Development Fund Volodymyr Pirus.
 
Overall, about one hundred representatives of local authorities, international and national experts, representatives of non-governmental organizations participated in the discussion concerning issues of development and regeneration of Ukrainian cities.
 
 
“Strategy or plan of development is a prerequisite for the successful transformation of the city into sustainable and smart. However, even if the city has such document and it’s a well prepared one, in many cases serious and systematic changes are still not achieved. There are two main reasons for this state of affairs - the inability of authorities to implement such strategies into practical life and poor communication with business and society. This very thesis served as a basis of the discussion of presentations of our Spanish colleagues at the Roundtable on the topic (Development and implementation of the plans on the regeneration of the cities: the best international experience and opportunities for Ukraine). We hope that the given advice and recommendations concerning this matter will help Ukrainian cities to move more rapidly towards the transformation into sustainable and smart” – claimed Chairwoman of Ukrainian PPP Development Center, Member of the Board of the City Development Fund, Iryna Zapatrina
 
 
During the Roundtable the participants presented their own vision of the development of Ukrainian cities, shared their experience (national as well as international) and considered the possibilities of implementation of latest technologies into everyday life. The following topics were discussed at the event: “The story of transformation of Barcelona”, “Aspects of elaboration and implementation of the strategies on sustainable development of the small and medium-sized cities”, “Art infrastructure and its role in sustainable development and prosperity of the cities: International Experience and Opportunities for Implementation in Ukraine”, “Service model of the informatization of services and the role of PPPs in the context of building Sustainable and Smart Cities”, “Improvement of central heating systems”, “Energy efficiency and self-sufficiency”, “Smart cities: conditions for business development” and others.
 
It is important to mention that the topics that were discussed during the Roundtable will be further implemented at the 2nd International EXPO Congress «Business for Smart Cities»-2020, that will be held in April 22-24, 2020 and will be dedicated to the theme “City 4.0: From design to implementation”. The main goal of the Congress is to create in Ukraine a permanent platform for communication between mayors, business representatives, international organizations, innovators, teachers and students, as well as civil society institutions on how to make cities attractive for living and doing business.
The 1^st International EXPO Congress «Business for Smart Cities» was held in January, 2019. It was organized by the City Development Fund, Academy of Public-Private Partnership and Ardana Consultants. It gathered almost 2000 participants, 140 speakers from 30 countries, including 26 representatives of international organizations (EBRD, IFC,  Global Infrastructure Hub, UNECE, HABITAT, UN Global Compact).