At the 10th International Economic Forum in Katowice, Roman Matys discussed regional development strategies with Jarosław Ferenc, Mayor of Radomsko; Ireneusz Antkowiak, Mayor of Pobiedziska; and Paweł Boris, head of business development at the German company Trilux.
The panel agreed that a strategy is needed. But they meant a document built on business logic, not one written because that is how it has always been done.
Two examples showed how a strategy decides who comes to a community. Pobiedziska chose an ecological course. It attracted residents who value the environment, but some investors had to be turned away: residents opposed a solar power plant, among other things.
Radomsko went another way. The town assembled land plots for an industrial zone and brought utilities to them. The advantages became clear without long presentations, and the zone attracted almost 30 investors and about 5,000 jobs.
Trilux added the investor’s view. The company decides according to its own strategy: logistics, proximity to markets, workforce. It located its new plant in Świdnik near Lublin, partly with the Ukrainian market in mind. Utilities, road access and the absence of local conflict also mattered.
Roman Matys’s conclusion: a useful strategy reflects the real needs of both business and residents, which is why it takes time to write. He hopes Ukraine’s reconstruction plans will also take people’s comfort and safety into account, not just the wish to rebuild fast.
More about our strategy work: Territorial development strategy.
Original (in Ukrainian): matys.com.ua