Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
FUTURE OF CITIES
LJUBLJANA FORUM 2011
City Developers Foresight Conference:
European Metropolitan Growth Area
2027
Janez Podobnik
ECPD International Institute for
Sustainable Development,
Urban Planning and Environmental
Studies, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Director
13-14 October 20011
Ljubljana, Slovenija
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
Recreational and Long Distance (RELOD)
Tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb
and Belgrade – Contribution of the Cities to
the Water path
=SLOVENIA
=Ljubljana
cross border
local communities
CROATIA
Zagreb
cross border
SERBIA=
local communities
www.ecpd.si
Belgrade=
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
A word about the Institute
• Located in Ljubljana, Slovenia – an EU and NATO
and OECD member state
• Established in 2009
• Part of the European Centre for Peace and
Development (ECPD) which is a part of the United
Nations University for Peace and SBRA Slovenian
Business and Research Association, Brussels
• ECPD has headquarters in Belgrade and an academic
council in Paris
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
Vision of the Institute
• To continue policy promoted by the ECPD and
focus it on sustainable development
• Following the ECPD doctrine that has
interdisciplinary connected areas of economic,
technological(biotechnology, food safety) and
social development
• Focusing on management of natural resources
pursued by technological and environmental
programs, which embrace the principles of
sustainable development
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
RELODCycle Project partners
City of Ljubljana – established a project team group,
led by vice-mayor of Ljubljana
ICPE – International Center for Promotion of
Enterprises, Ljubljana
Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of
Slovenia (mag. Igor Cotič)
ECPD International Institute for Sustainable
Development, Urban Planning and
Environmental Studies, Ljubljana
City of Zagreb, Croatia
City of Belgrade, Serbia
And others (Chambers of commerce, tourist
organizations, local municipalities, etc.)
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
Basic information
Participant
Countries:
Project duration:
Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia – the project is open for
all countries with regards to the Danube Basin
3 years;
Estimate cost for 2.500.000 EUR: SWOT analysis, Feasibility
basic project:
study, pilot projects, Draft plan with
guidelines for implementation of RELODCycle,
dissemination
Follow up
projects:
concrete construction of the bicycle lanes:
bankable project: est. 25 million EUR – start
of investment is dependent on resources
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
What does Ljubljana as a capital city
gain with RELODCycle
• Promoting bicycling as an element of sustainable transport and
recreation (case:BicikeLJ)
• Ljubljana has a good practice of sustainable settling of
Ljubljanica bank – expanding this approach by Sava River to
other capital towns and other cities in Sava River basin
• Project connects the aspects of metropolitan development,
regional-transborder Sava River basin development as well as
the European approach (seen in the new, already adopted EU
Strategy for Danube region)
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
Open public spaces and metropolitan areas
•Open public spaces in the City of Ljubljana represent the skeleton
of the city (OPS as a principle in urban planning theory:
http://www.pps.org/about/approach/
•In the last years a series of street redesigns were implemented
with appropriate urban and traffic program
•Redesigns were done mostly in the old city centre and with
renovation projects upgraded the urban program
•However, there is still a lack of green open public space along the
Sava River (water fronts) for recreation
•Open public spaces could play a vital role in rising of sustainable
culture (information, awareness, dialogue,
co-operation, participation, and lifestyle)
•Green open public spaces especially water fronts along the rivers
represent a good opportunity for the sustainable development
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
•The Sava River and its tributaries, i.e. Ljubljanica, in its way
through the municipality of the capital city forms a large potential
for recreational and tourist purposes
•Well designed and managed green open public spaces especially
water fronts along the rivers could represent the value added for
the sustainable development
•Sustainable approach could influence positively on transnational
cooperation in the region
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
Purpose of the project
• Improving cooperation between the capitals
Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade and other local
communities on this path
• Contribution to future development of the broader
region, sustainable development promotion, mutual
understanding and enlargement processes in the EU
• contribution to the implementation of the EU
Strategy for the Danube Region (Sava River)
•
fostering the integrated management of the Sava
river front focused on sustainable tourism and
transport as well as overall quality of life
• Upgrading the project “Fostering contribution of the
SME sector to sustainable development of the Sava
River basin”
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
Expected results
Economic
aspect:
Social aspect:
Environmental
aspect:
-
introduction of regional tourist destination
-
improvements of tourist and recreational
infrastructure of partner cities and local
communities
-
cross border cooperation between EU member state
and future member states
-
promotion of sustainable principles and integrated
approach in spatial planning
-
draft plan of recreational and Long Distance Tourist
Bicycle Lanes along Sava River
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
Focal points between EU SDR and
RELODCycle project
• Creating transnational tourist packages (e.g.
Combined rail-cycle-boat trips along the Danube
(Sava)
• Improving sustainable mobility through traffic
and interconnectivity of trains, busses, and
shipping in the Danube countries
• To improve planning and infrastructure for
sustainable tourism
• To support ways and cycle tourism: examples of
good practices – Prague-Vienna Greenway,
Amber trail from Budapies through Slovakia to
Poland, subnational routes, such as Austrian
Weinviertel
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
Latest activities regarding the financing of
the RELODCycle project
• Presentation of the project at different International
workshops (first launch of the project: 11.11. 2010,
ICAM Conference, Ljubljana);
• Support by ISRBC – International Sava River Basin
Commission, Zagreb, Croatia
• Meeting with Austrian representatives of SIEMENS,
11. 7. 2011, Ljubljana (SIEMENS supports the
project, but is ready to invest only after its
construction is done);
• Presentation of the project at The 11th meeting of the
partnership for improvement of Danube infrastructure
and navigation – (PIDIN): 11th October, Vienna;
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
How business community/private sector can be
better involved in the RELODCycle project
• Key opportunity is tourism, such as:
-Accommodation
-Hospitality facilities (refreshment centres, info-spots,
bike repair shops, etc.)
-Renting bicycles and rollerblades
-creating transnational tourist packages
-promotion of cultural heritage
Weakness: business sector can be involved only after
the construction of the bicycle lanes is finished,
therefore the first part of the project must be
supported by EU IFI’s, national budget and local
municipality budget
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
Possible financial resources for
financing the project
• Structural (ERDF) and IPA funds
• WBIF – Western Balkan Investment Framework,
priority given to: Regional Impact; Sectoral
strategies – EU Danube Strategy
• Financial mechanisms to support the EU Danube
strategy: EIB, EBRD and other IFI’s – possible
cooperation for construction of bicycle lanes
(bankable projects)
• National budgets, local municipality budgets
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
To summarize
• Project is realistic with technical and financial
feasibility
• Supported by ISRBC (International Sava River
Basin Commission, Zagreb)
• Win-win solution: concept of sustainable
transport, tourism as well as coastal zone
management
• Bottom-up approach for cooperation between the
metropolitan cities of Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade
• Project can be built in phases, in terms of
building – connecting with flood protection and
buoyancy of Sava River
www.ecpd.si
Recreational and Long Distance tourist Bicycle Lanes along Sava River,
Connecting Capital Cities Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
Meeting of
Mayors of
Ljubljana,
Zagreb,
Belgrade
2012..
First
cycling
tour from
LJ....
Janez Podobnik, Director
info@ecpd.si
www.ecpd.si
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