Since last summer, the LCA4regions partners have busy implementing their Action Plan to bring transformation at local level. Where do they currently stand? Are there already some visible improvements? Riga City Council tells us more about the changes that started to appear in Riga City following the EURE Action Plan.
Can you summarise your Action Plan in one or two sentences?
The action plan of the City of Riga consists of 3 activities aimed at strengthening targeted cooperation in the development of priority cooperation projects at the regional level and promoting the development of green infrastructure.
What have you already implemented?
One of the activities of the action plan of the City of Riga is the development of public open spaces in the Old Riga (Old Town), including the development of green infrastructure. Currently, the initial construction technical documentation is being prepared for the implementation of these actions, including the development of recommendations for the implementation of green solutions. At the same time, the City of Riga actively worked on collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, that resulted in funding being allocated for the reconstruction of public open spaces in the Old Town within the framework of EU fund investments.
The City of Riga, in close collaboration with the Riga Planning Region, is working on the identification and development of a smart mobility solutions within the framework of the "Smart Municipality" initiative, which has regional impact. This project is being implemented as part of the EU fund investment program designated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia.
Do you already have some first evaluation? How are the changes brought by the Action Plan welcomed by the local actors?
The results are hopeful, thanks to successful cooperation during the project with the Responsible Authority, 5 million was marked out for the development of the historical center of Riga and improvement of the accessibility of public infrastructure. Active work in the development of this activity is currently underway. The development of initial construction documentation and recommendations for the implementation of green infrastructure solutions and promotion of the accessibility of the territory will be completed soon.
The project is finishing in a few months, do you already know if you will follow-up on the Action Plan? How?
Within the project, targeted collaboration was strengthened in the Riga metropolitan area, and specifically, enhanced cooperation with the responsible and leading EU funding institution, which is crucial for achieving the goals set out in the Action Plan. It is planned to continue the implementation of the activities outlined in the Action Plan by carrying out the two mentioned projects and attracting EU fund investments.
