Adoption of the draft City of Belgrade Development Strategy
Belgrade City Assembly, February 14, 2008
The Commission for Preparation of the Belgrade Strategic Plan adopted the draft City of Belgrade Development Strategy at the meeting, held on February 14, 2008, realized by PALGO’s team in cooperation with local experts and international consultants.
Besides the members of the City Commission, were also present PALGO’s coordinators: Borislav Stojkov, Veronika Vujošević, Žaklina Gligorijević, Dejan Filipović, Zoran Žegarac, Ksenija Petovar and Darko Savić, Dušan Damjanović, president of PALGO Center, Dejan Protić, director of the Service for Information, Dragica Moro, Deputy Secretary of the Secretariat for Education and Lana Pavlović Aleksić.
Radmila Hrustanović, Commission President, said in her introductory speech that the late Mayor Nenad Bogdanović started to work on defining the City of Belgrade Development Strategy when he had established the Commission for Preparation of the Belgrade Strategic Plan on November 5, 2005. Now, two and a half years later, after systematic efforts, in cooperation with PALGO Center and international consultants the work has reached the final stage, i.e. the adoption of the Draft of the City of Belgrade Development Strategy.
Zoran Alimpić, Acting Mayor of Belgrade, also a Commission member, first thanked PALGO Center, international consultants and OSI/LGI on their contribution to that long lasting and comprehensive work. Then he said that he was very pleased with the presented document and asked all PALGO’s coordinators to introduce their respective work and solicited others to give their comments and suggestions.
Project Coordinator, prof. Borislav Stojkov explained all phases of the CBDS drafting process. The first phase was detailed field analyses, performed in 2006, with the Report on the Status of the City of Belgrade, followed by an objective analyses based on these findings, furtermore SWOT analyses , completed in April 2007, and finally, the Strategy document itself – defining goals and objectives. Today, Belgrade is in the situation when it has to introduce some of the protective strategies, which means that the City has to preserve its resources and natural treasures, endangered by the accelerated development in past few years. Also, there is the part that steps forward, in terms of territory, in other words to the future more rapid development. In his opinion, it is essential that this Strategy is based on real financial, organizational and institutional capacities, necessary for realizing strategic priorities and which would accomplish the vision for the City of Belgrade to rise its international status in short or midterm perspectives.
The so-called integral method was applied in drafting the Strategy, defined through 4 key interconnected elements: environment; economic development which also encompasses development of infrastructure, transportation and communal system; social development that consists of public health, social welfare, education and culture; and City governance that puts an emphasis on decentralization process, citizen participation and information system.
After short discussion that was mostly related to further activities regarding the procedure that the City Government bodies should follow in giving comments and suggestions, public hearings organization and the Strategy adoption by the City Assembly – the City Commission adopted the draft City of Belgrade Development Strategy. The Commission also agreed to organize public hearings that would last until April 15, while the City officials were asked to hand in their comments and suggestions to the Draft within 15 days (by the end of February).
The final version of the draft City of Belgrade Development Strategy will be proposed to the current City Assembly or to the next one (after May elections). Among many reasons why the present Assembly should adopt the CBDS, we put forward the one of thinking and acting with stability and continuity, and that there are acts that should last and be implemented no matter the political majority in the Belgrade Assembly – this would certainly be a positive massage.
Daily paper Danas – February 15, 2008
Daly paper Politika – February 15, 2008
After introducing the draft CBDS at a press conference in the City Hall, on March 6, 2008 :
Daily paper Danas – March 7, 2008
Daily paper Politika – March 7, 2008
Daly paper Blic – March 7, 2008
Daily paper Večernje novosti – March 7, 2008
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