Consulting projects
1. Local development strategies of communes / cities
As an author or lead co-author, I have developed the following strategies of Polish communes/cities. All of them were passed by respective councils. Reference letters.
The Prażmów commune is one of the fastest developing communes in the Warsaw agglomeration in terms of demographics. It takes place mainly as a result of the inflow of new residents to new single-family houses, often of a residential nature. Its main wealth is its unique natural values, which include primarily the Chojnów Landscape Park and the Jeziorka River. At the same time, it is a commune facing unique development challenges, especially in the field of technical and social infrastructure and spatial development.
The commune of Dobrzyniewo Duże belongs to the dynamically developing Białystok agglomeration. Important national communication routes pass through it and in its close vicinity, e.g. S8 expressway, national road No. 65 and railway line No. 38. Moreover, in the coming years, two extremely important communication routes of continental importance will cross in this commune. The first is the Via Carpatia road from Lithuania through Slovakia and Hungary, to Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, and the second is the Rail Baltica rail route from Finland via Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Poland. Particularly important features of this commune include: high investor interest in it, positive migration balance, dynamic development of single-family housing, developed agriculture, Knyszyńska Forest and other environmental values, unique history and rich local culture. All this creates many development opportunities, but also presents the authorities with many serious challenges. The desire to take advantage of these opportunities and meet these challenges are the main reasons why the authorities of this commune entrusted me with drawing up its new development strategy.
Ostrołęka is a city of electric energy and diversified production, constituting the regional center of the development of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship and inhabited by over 50,000. inhabitants. The Ostrołęka Power Plant as well as medium and large enterprises of the construction, pulp and paper, agricultural and food industries and others are located here. The city also performs important supra-local administrative, commercial and service, educational, sports and recreational functions and others. It also boasts an important historical heritage and our culture. However, the use of potentials and ensuring a good standard of living for residents requires not only facing problems such as migration and communication difficulties, but also deeper inclusion of the city in international economic ties, obtaining EU funds, energy transformation and many other activities.
The Kramsk commune is located near Konin (17 km), in the vicinity of Licheń, a place of Marian worship, visited by pilgrims from all over the world, where a magnificent basilica, the largest church in Poland, was built. The commune has an agricultural character, but thanks to pilgrimages and natural values such as lakes, tourism is developing in it. In turn, the proximity to Konin and the presence of important, including international, communication routes attract new entrepreneurs to the commune.
Mikołów is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship, located in the close vicinity of Katowice, Tychy and Ruda Śląska, as well as in the vicinity of Gliwice and Zabrze. It stands out against the background of the Silesian agglomeration with a unique combination of rich infrastructural and industrial development with exceptional environmental values, including the unique flora of the Silesian Botanical Garden. Its advantages also include communication routes of national and international importance, good social services, active culture, sport and recreation, developing housing, positive migration processes and many others. Combined with the high activity of our community, enterprises and local government, it brings constant development of this city and a significant increase in the quality of life of its residents.
The urban-rural commune of Syców belongs to the Wrocław agglomeration and is situated on the S8 expressway connecting this agglomeration with the Łódź, Warsaw and Białystok agglomerations, in the vicinity of the S11 expressway, relatively close to the S5 expressway and the A4 motorway, as well as on the railway line No. 181 Herby Nowe – Oleśnica. Thus, it has an excellent location and logistic conditions, but at the same time it is distinguished by environmental advantages, e.g. vast, environmentally rich forests (including the unique Prof. Stefan Białobok Forest Arboretum) and numerous rivers and ponds and other water reservoirs (including the attractive Stradomia Wierzchnia Reservoir). In combination with good technical and social infrastructure, these values prompted the authorities to adopt the development strategy of the Syców Commune consisting in the development of its functional connections with the Wrocław agglomeration and its own supra-local functions. In the development of functional connections, emphasis was placed on the use of development opportunities brought for this type of communes by structural socio-economic changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is primarily about increasing the share of remote work of Wrocław residents, thanks to which some of them will move to neighboring small towns with good connections with it, as well as increasing the demand of Wrocław residents for weekend recreational services provided close to the city. In the development of own supra-local functions, strategic emphasis was placed on acquiring medium and large external investors, mainly industrial and logistics.
Kozienice is an urban-rural commune in the Kozienice County, inhabited by about 30 thousand residents. Its area is 245.56 km², of which 46% is arable land and 39% is forest. It is developed in agricultural terms, but its economy is dominated by energy because it has the second largest coal-fired power plant in Poland (installed capacity: 2905 MW) belonging to Enea Wytwarzanie S.A. This is the reason why Kozienice is one of the richest communes in Poland.
Mysłakowice is a rural commune in the Jeleniogórski County, which has approx. 10.000 residents. It has unique tourist and recreational values. On its territory there is the Jelenia Góra Valley Cultural Park “Valley of Palaces and Gardens”, and in it, present on the list of Historical Monuments, palace and park complexes in Mysłakowice, Bukowiec, Karpniki, Łomnica, Wojanów and Bobrów and a villa with the park “Oak Manor” in Karpniki. Rich forests, mountainous and foothill terrain, numerous rocks, viewpoints, sacred monuments, as well as a developed tourist base and an extraordinary history complete its unique attractiveness.
Stara Kamienica is a rural commune in the Jeleniogórski County. It is developed for agriculture, with arable land accounting for over 56% of its area. However, it has a lot of tourist and recreational natural values, e.g. mountain and foothill terrain, many viewpoints, monuments and mining and industrial facilities constituting tourist attractions, 15 species of protected plants, habitats of 70 species of birds, as well as numerous hiking trails, bike paths, cross-country skiing routes (over 150 km).
Grębocice is a rural commune in the Polkowice County. Almost three quarters of its area is arable land, so agriculture plays the most important role in its economy. However, due to the presence of copper ore and the accompanied salt and silver deposits, its southwestern part lies on the periphery of the mining area of the “Rudna” and “Sieroszowice” mines belonging to KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. This is also associated with the presence in the commune the largest in Europe flotation waste landfill “Żelazny Most” with a volume of 700 million m³ and dam lengths of 14.3 km. The Rudna commune also has valuable tourist assets, such as: the “Grodowiec” Nature and Landscape Complex, the “Uroczysko Obiszów” nature reserve, 83 bird species, 600 plant protection sites, 663 archaeological sites and many others.
Polkowice is an urban-rural commune in the Polkowicki County. It is one of the richest communes in Poland because it is one of the main industrial centers of the Legnica-Głogów Copper Basin and an important area of activity of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. Therefore, copper mining and its processing dominate in economy of these commune, but the mining of accompanying salt and silver is also of great importance. This is also associated with the presence in the commune the largest in Europe flotation waste landfill “Żelazny Most” with a volume of 700 million m³ and dam lengths of 14.3 km. In addition, within the commune there is a subzone of the Legnica Special Economic Zone, which includes large plants: CCC, Volkswagen Motor Polska, Sitech, Sanden. Due to the very high budget revenues, the Polkowice Commune offers a very high standard of living for the residents, and at the same time is developing dynamically in both demographic and economic terms. What’s more, this happens with maximum concentration on the protection of natural resources.
Lądek-Zdrój is an urban-rural commune in Poland located in the Kłodzko County. The basic elements of the commune’s economy are spa treatment as well as tourist and recreational services. There are radial sulphide and fluoride hot springs used in the treatment of rheumatic, orthopedic, neurological and hormonal diseases. The most representative sanatorium is the historic institute of natural medicine “Wojciech”. The numerous natural values of the commune include mountains and rock clusters, rich flora (mainly forests) and fauna, including many protected species, the Biała Lądecka River and its tributaries, a large accommodation and gastronomic base, multicultural heritage of the past, bicycle routes (routes), hiking, skiing and horse riding, arboretum, parks, religious buildings, agritourism base and many others.
Bogatynia is an urban-rural commune in the Zgorzelecki County. Due to the rich deposits of brown coal, the mining and energy industry is the dominant branch of the commune’s economy, which makes the commune one of the richest in Poland. It is represented by the PGE GiEK S.A. Branch of KWB “Turów” (mine) and PGE GiEK S.A. Turów Power Plant together with a number of companies supporting these enterprises. These companies employ a total of approximately seven thousand employees. Agriculture plays a supplementary role in the commune’s economy.
Stronie Śląskie is an urban-rural commune in the Kłodzki County, inhabited by about 8.000 residents. Its area is 146.42 km², of which 77% is forest land and almost 23% arable land. The commune has very attractive tourist and recreational values, such as the Bear Cave, several reserves and the Śnieżnik Landscape Park, the Bialskie Mountains and the Śnieżnik Massif, the “Czarna Góra” and “Kamienica” ski complexes, the Old Uranium Mine in Kletno and a number of historic buildings.
Długołęka is the most populous rural commune in Poland, located in the Wrocławski County and belonging to the Wrocław agglomeration. Its economy is multifunctional and closely related to the vicinity of Wrocław. For this reason, a number of medium and large investors are dynamically flowing to the commune, as well as migrating residents of Wrocław and other towns wishing to live in its vicinity, which is related to intensive housing construction. At the same time, the commune boasts numerous water reservoirs rich in fish, horse riding centers, bicycle routes and historic buildings.
Marciszów is a rural commune in the Kamiennogórski District. In addition to agriculture (agricultural land accounts for 53% of the commune’s area), food processing and tourism are also developing there. The latter is stimulated by a large area of forests and a network of hiking trails. In the area of the commune there is the Rudawy Landscape Park with the famous Colorful Lakes, which were created in the place of the former pyrite mines. There are also interesting monuments in the commune, including the Ciechanowice Palace.
Nowogrodziec Commune is a supra-local service, trade and industrial center. Important plants of the ceramics, glass, construction, cosmetics, food, chemical and machine industries are located there. The Nowogrodziec subzone of the Kamienna Góra Special Economic Zone for Small Entrepreneurship S.A. was created on its territory. However, tourism and recreation play an increasingly important role in the commune’s economy. The commune has interesting forest resources, rich in fauna of the Kwisa and Iwnica rivers, religious and industrial monuments and many other attractions.
Przemków is an urban-rural commune in the Polkowicki County. It is located on the edge of Bory Dolnośląskie forests and near the highly industrialized copper basin and large plants of the Legnicka Special Economic Zone. Due to the varied natural landscape, rich forest resources and a high level of cleanliness of the natural environment, the entire area of the commune is under the protection of the Przemkowski Landscape Park. Agriculture and fishing play an important role in its economy. Water accounts for over 8% of the commune’s area, incl. well-known Przemkowskie Ponds.
Wądroże Wielkie a rural commune in the Jaworski County. It is a typically agricultural commune, with arable lands accounting for 80% of its area. Agriculture is highly commodity-oriented and covers a relatively large number of agricultural production sectors. Nevertheless, due to the location of the commune on the A4 motorway, its development is also directed towards industry. Therefore, the most logistically attractive areas have been included in the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone INVEST-PARK.
Węgliniec is an urban-rural commune in the Zgorzelecki County. It is one of the most forested municipalities in Poland. Forest lands account for as much as 82% of its area and there are called Bory Dolnośląskie. Therefore, forestry, undergrowth processing and hunting play a dominant role in its economy, and, increasingly, tourism and recreation. Transport also plays an important role due to the location of an important railway junction within the commune. In its area, valuable deposits of clay for construction ceramics, quartzoplast, aggregates, gravel and kaolin are also exploited. Moreover, there are rich, but not exploited lignite deposits.
Jelenia Góra is a City with county rights in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship. It is a multi-functional city with developed industrial, academic, commerce, trade, logistics and administrative functions. Among other medium-sized cities, it is distinguished by the presence of the Cieplice Health Resort, the Karkonosze National Park and a number of other valuable natural sites and areas. In combination with an extremely rich history, multinational culture and numerous historic buildings, Jelenia Góra also has important health care, tourist and recreational functions.
Bolków is an urban-rural commune in the Jaworski County. The following are distinguished in the economic structure of this commune: agriculture (agricultural land constitutes 62% of the commune’s area), forestry (forest land – 29%) and tourist and recreational services. The main tourist attraction of the commune is Bolków Castle. Due to its architecture and location, the castle is considered to be one of the most impressive and interesting monuments of this type in Poland. Important attractions are also the “Ryszard Hill” and the complex of ponds “Bronikowo”, as well as many species of plants and objects of inanimate nature (especially rocks of volcanic origin).
Sulików is a rural commune located in the Zgorzelecki County. It is dominated by agriculture (agricultural land accounts for 74% of its area), however, it has a number of natural and historical values, which is why tourism and recreation develop in it. These are forest resources, numerous ponds, rivers and monuments. Built-up areas and the Lusatian culture play a special role in it.
Rudna is a rural commune in the Lubiński County. More than half of its area is arable land, so agriculture plays an important role in its economy. Nevertheless, due to the presence of copper ore resources and company KGHM Polska Miedź SA, mining and the related processing industry play a very important role in its economy. It is associated with the presence of the largest in Europe post-flotation waste reservoir “Żelazny Most” with a volume of 700 million m³ and a dam length of 14.3 km. It is also associated with high income of the commune’s budget, which allows to ensure a high standard of communal services, low fees for utilities, fully free pre-school care, modern and well-equipped schools and health centers with top-class diagnostic equipment. All localities have water, sewage, gas, electric energy and broadband internet networks. Sports and recreational areas are located in all localities of the commune (tennis courts, indoor sports swimming pool, modern sports fields, etc.).
Wojcieszów is a urban commune in the Złotoryjski County. It is a local industrial and service center. There are lime plants, wood and food industries. However, more and more important is the use of its tourist and recreational values. In addition to the rich natural resources and attractive mountain terrain, there are also interesting: 5 palaces, a manor complex, parks, hiking and biking trails.
Świerzawa is an urban-rural commune in Złotoryjski County. It is a commune with developed agricultural functions (agricultural land accounts for 63%) of its area. The city of Świerzawa is therefore mainly a service and commercial center for the agricultural area, but it is also a historic town with numerous historic buildings. In combination with valuable natural values (palaces, churches, forests, etc.), this means that the commune authorities intensively stimulate the development of its new tourist and recreational functions.
The Janowice Wielkie Commune is a rural commune in the Jelenia Góra County. It is a typical tourist commune with an important share of agriculture and forestry. The most important values of this commune include the Rudawy Janowickie Mountains, which are rich in various rock forms, numerous hiking, bicycle and horse trails, the Bóbr River, the Rudawski Landscape Park and other forest areas, many historic buildings and rich fauna. Moreover, the commune has an extremely rich history and multinational cultural heritage. These functions are complemented by a modern automotive industry located in the local subzone of the Kamienna Góra Special Economic Zone for Small Business.
Lubawka is an urban-rural commune in the Kamiennogórski County. Its economy is dominated by agriculture (arable lands account for 50% of its area) and forestry (forest lands account for 42%). The commune, however, has unique tourist and recreational values, such as the parish church of the Holy Family and other churches, Weavers ‘Houses “Twelve Apostles” and Seven Brothers “(damask weavers’ estate), the Lubawa Gate Hills, the Bóbr Valley and the Bukówka Reservoir and the Raven Mountains.
Radwanice is a rural commune in the Polkowicki District. It is a typical agricultural commune, and 77% of its area is arable land. Although it is not a commune with a high own income, it is developing dynamically thanks to the high activity of its authorities, especially in obtaining external funds. In 2011, “Rzeczpospolita” magazine published the ranking “European local government” assessing the acquisition of EU funds, in which this commune came second in Poland.
Chocianów is an urban-rural commune in the Polkowicki County. Its economic structure consists mainly of agriculture, forestry and industry. There are valuable architectural monuments in the commune, e.g. palace and park complexes in Chocianów, Parchów and Żabice, a manor house and a wooden windmill in Chocianowiec, churches in Chocianów and Trzebnice, as well as former Protestant border churches in Pogorzeliska and Trzmielów. Tourism and recreation, however, are not an important branch of the commune’s economy.
Podgórzyn and the rural commune in the Karkonoski County. It is a commune with dominant, well-developed tourist and recreational functions, based on many natural (e.g. Karkonoski National Park, Podgórzyńskie Ponds ), mountain (e.g. Karkonosze, waterfalls), historical (e.g. palaces, Tyrolean houses) and infrastructure (e.g. e.g. walking, bicycle, horse paths, accommodation, catering, entertainment facilities) values.
Pieńsk is an urban-rural commune in the Zgorzelecki County. It is a state-border commune with dominant agricultural and forestry functions, but it also has industrial traditions related mainly to glass-making.
Jeżów Sudecki is a rural commune in the Karkonoski District. Agriculture plays an important role in its economy, but the commune is known for its extremely attractive and unique tourist and recreational values. It is located in the Kaczawskie Mountains, which are characterized by a wealth of morphological forms, and besides, it has a very rich history dating back to the early 13th century. The magnificent monuments located in the commune are a testimony to the centuries-old history, such as the “Cossack Cross”, “Gwark House” and the Knight’s Tower. In addition, there is the famous Szybowcowa Mountain with an airfield, the slopes of which are a paradise for hang-gliders and paragliders. On the opposite hill in Dziwiszów – Łysa Góra, there is a snow-covered slope with 4 ski lifts. One of the most beautiful places in the commune is also the “Pearl of the West” shelter in Siedlecin, located on the charming Modry Lake in the Bóbr Valley Landscape Park – it covers an area of 1,794 ha and in the natural forests of the Kaczawskie Mountains.
Dobromierz is a rural commune in the Świdnicki County. The dominant function of this commune is agriculture, and arable lands account for almost 3/4 of its area. The industry related to the rich granite deposits occurring in its area is also important. It was mined there already in the 19th century, and currently there are 6 large quarries and several dozen small stone factories in the commune. The commune also has picturesque areas that stretch from a large, artificial drinking water reservoir to the buffer zone of the Książ Landscape Park. Attractions are also monuments, especially numerous palace and park complexes and churches, as well as protected, rare species of plants and animals. Nevertheless, the tourist and recreational activity is not significantly developed.
Wronki is an urban-rural commune in the Szamotulski District. It is usually associated with the largest prison in Poland. However, Wronki is a commune with dominant industrial functions with modern plants using world-class technologies, including Amica S.A. In addition, there is a well-known first-league football club Amica Wronki, but hardly anyone outside the commune knows that there are more than a dozen other football teams in it. It is also worth noting that the commune is located on the Warta River, on the edge of the Notecka Forest, which contributes to the development of its tourist and recreational functions, including mushroom growing, and thanks to the ideal condition it is called the “Land of a Thousand Mushrooms”.
Dzierżoniów is an urban commune located in the Dzierżoniowski District. It is a supra-local commercial, service and administrative center, and above all an industrial one. The existence of the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone INVEST-PARK, which has attracted many modern investors, as well as the Dzierżoniów Industrial Park, are of key importance for the city’s economic development.
Starachowice is an urban commune in the Starachowicki County, which is an important administrative and industrial center. The main employers in the city are, among others: MAN Bus Sp. z o.o., PKC Group, Cersanit, Cerrad, Gerda, Perfopol, Odlewnie Polskie S.A., Animex, LSC Communications, PERFECT Sp. z o.o. and many other smaller businesses. The commune owes its present good economic situation to the “Starachowice” Special Economic Zone.
2. Development strategies of counties and regions
As an author or lead co-author, I have developed the following strategies of Polish counties & regions. All of them were passed by respective councils. Reference letters.
Dolnośląskie Voivodeship is one of the economic regions-leaders in Poland. Its share in the creation of the Gross Domestic Product of the national economy is around 8.5% and gives it the 4th position in the country after the Mazowieckie, Śląskie and Wielkopolskie voivodships. In turn, the per capita GDP ranks the voivodship in second place after the Mazowieckie voivodship. The share in generating GDP in Lower Silesia by sectors is as follows: services: 56.75%, industry: 34.69%, construction: 7.09%, agriculture: 1.47% (GUS 2015 estimates).
The Jaworski County is located in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship. It has an agricultural and industrial character, but also has many tourist and recreational values: large forest complexes, numerous tourist routes – the most famous are the “Lower Silesian Cistercian Trail”, “Extinct Volcanoes” and “Kopacze”. In the district there is the “Chełmy” Landscape Park with the “Wąwóz Myśliborski” reserve and unique rocks, the so-called Small Myślibórz Organs. Numerous monuments also deserve attention, including the Church of Peace, which is on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. Other monuments of architecture and art, such as gothic castle in Bolków, early gothic church of St. Martin, the Piast Castle and the Regional Museum in Jawor, complete touristic attractiveness of this county.
The Polkowicki County is located in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship and is inhabited by over 63,000. residents. The largest industrial tycoon in the county is KGHM “Polska Miedź” S.A., the ninth copper producer and the third silver producer in the world. The prosperity of this area is also closely related to the establishment of the Legnica Special Economic Zone, which has become an alternative to the copper industry. Together with the communes, it was possible to create a favorable climate for the economic development of the entire region. It was appreciated by the world’s largest companies: Volkswagen, Sitech, Royal Europa, NG2, Sanden, as well as CCC.
The Jeleniogórski County (new name Karkonoski County starting from 2020) is located in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship and has approx. 65.000 residents. It is an extraordinary conglomerate of tourist and recreational values. It results mainly from the lie of the land – from the highest point of the county (Śnieżka peak – 1,603 m above sea level), to the lowest (the Bóbr valley near Janowice Wielkie), the difference in levels is over 1000 m. This county has excellent touristic conditions, including for practicing: gliding and paragliding, canoeing, cycling and hiking, climbing, equestrianism, downhill and cross-country skiing, cultural and historical tourism, ecotourism, agritourism, fishing and many others. Its economy is therefore dominated by tourist and recreational, hotel, gastronomic and related services, but it is complemented by, among others, industry, medical services, trade and agriculture.
The Zgorzelecki County is located in the western part of the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship, right next to the Polish-German border. It is inhabited by over 90 thousands people. Due to the rich deposits of brown coal, the mining and energy industry is the dominant branch of its economy. In addition, there are deposits of gravel, sand and basalt. The most industrialized place in the county is the City of Bogatynia with the economic pillars of the region: PGE GiEK S.A. Branch of KWB “Turów” and PGE GiEK S.A. “Turów” power plant with the companies operating with it. These companies employ a total of approximately seven thousand employees.
The Bolesławiecki County is located in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship and is inhabited by over 90,000 residents. This county belongs to the regions of Dolnośląskie Voivodeship with the highest level of afforestation (58.9% of the area), and the largest forest complex is a part of Bory Dolnośląskie forests. The area is also rich in deposits of ceramic clay, kaolin, gypsum, sandstone, anhydrite and calcium. They are used for the production of noble ceramics, including the well-known Bolesławiecka ceramics. Manufacturing and construction activities also play a significant role in the economic structure of the county. On the other hand, the picturesque location, interesting history and numerous monuments contributed to the development of the tourist and recreational base.
3. Training on strategic governance for the authorities and executive management of Polish cities, communes and counties
Dozens of members of public authorities and executive management participated in each of my training sessions on strategy and strategic governance. Reference letters.
This is the latest version of my proprietary training on the construction and implementation of commune development strategy after a deep reform in this area introduced in Poland at the end of 2020. I modify the content of this training each time to meet the needs of a specific commune. The development and use of strategies is different in small rural communes than in large cities, i.e. urban communes. The structure of the economy, environment and society of a given commune is also important. It should be created and implemented differently, for example, in agricultural communes, and differently in tourist communes or in communes where the largest state-owned enterprises are located.
My one-day training sessions on the construction and implementation of commune development strategy most often serve to remind the authorities and executive management of the commune about the basic principles in this regard. They also include information on the latest good practices in this area, as well as on upcoming legislative changes.
Świdnica is a city in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship with a population of nearly 60,000. It is an industrial center with a developed automotive, electrotechnical, machinery and food industries. There are many valuable historic sacred buildings in Świdnica, including the Church of Peace built in the half-timbered system in 1657, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
One of the conditions for success in building and implementing a commune’s development strategy is the involvement of all employees of its self-government – of course, in accordance with their professional functions. To achieve this, however, you need the motivation resulting from the knowledge of the strategy and its importance, as well as from a reasonable belief in the use of this strategic governance tool that will bring real benefits to residents, the economy and the environment. My original educational and motivation training sessions, intended for the entire team of employees of the city hall, always give the expected effect.
This was the first version of my proprietary training on the construction and implementation of commune development strategy, taking into account the legal changes introduced in Poland at the end of 2020. It was the first training reaction to the “strategic revolution” that took place in our country, which attracted great interest among local authorities. Today I am offering its new, significantly improved version, which is, moreover, always modified for a given commune to meet the expectations of its authorities. The development and use of strategies is different in small rural communes than in large cities. The structure of the economy, environment and society of a given commune is also important. It should be created and implemented differently, for example, in agricultural communes, and differently in tourist communes or in communes where the largest state-owned enterprises are located.
Four-City is a strategic cooperation project of four neighboring cities: Nisko, Tarnobrzeg, Sandomierz and Stalowa Wola. They want to acquire and adapt to their needs large state investments, such as express roads S74 and S9, a second bridge over the Vistula River in Sandomierz and a railway line to the Central Communication Port. They also want to implement their own joint ventures in the fields of tourism, recreation, culture, pro-ecological public transport and smart city solutions. In connection with the above, the authorities of these cities have begun to update their development strategies, and also want to develop a Four-City Development Strategy. An element of preparation for this work was the training on strategic governance of the development of cities and their groups, which I conducted for them on July 9 and 10, 2019.
This classic training on the construction and implementation of commune development strategy was carried out before their comprehensive regulation in local government law, which took place at the end of 2020. It was very popular among local authorities and executive management, especially those who sought to achieve the best possible results in their public activity. Apart from transferring practical knowledge of strategic management of local development, during these training sessions I practiced strategic decision making with the authorities. I am still doing it, but taking into account the current legal regulations.
The Silesian Union of Municipalities and Counties associates 134 local government units from the Śląskie Voivodeship including all cities with county rights, and its range covers an area inhabited by over 4 million people. In terms of the scale of activity and the number of people living in the area of its activity, it is the largest regional self-government organization in Poland. The activities and initiatives undertaken by the Union are aimed at integration and development of the region. Striving for this, the Union creates and disseminates the best models in the field of strategic governance local development.
This classic training on the construction and implementation of commune development strategy and county development strategy was carried out before their comprehensive regulation in local government law, which took place at the end of 2020. It was very popular among local authorities and executive management, especially those who sought to achieve the best possible results in their public activity. Apart from transferring practical knowledge of strategic management of local development, during these training sessions I practiced strategic decision making with the authorities. I am still doing it, but taking into account the current legal regulations.
The Silesian Union of Municipalities and Counties associates 134 local government units from the Śląskie Voivodeship including all cities with county rights, and its range covers an area inhabited by over 4 million people. In terms of the scale of activity and the number of people living in the area of its activity, it is the largest regional self-government organization in Poland. The activities and initiatives undertaken by the Union are aimed at integration and development of the region. Striving for this, the Union creates and disseminates the best models in the field of strategic governance local development.
All areas of local government activity are closely related to the commune’s development strategy. Therefore, it is important to understand and properly shape these connections. The authorities of many communes are aware of this and that is why they take advantage of my training on such connections. One of them was the training I conducted for the mayors of communes belonging to the Silesian Union of Communes and Poviats on the links between the economic results of revitalization processes and the commune development strategy.
The Silesian Union of Municipalities and Counties associates 134 local government units from the Śląskie Voivodeship including all cities with county rights, and its range covers an area inhabited by over 4 million people. In terms of the scale of activity and the number of people living in the area of its activity, it is the largest regional self-government organization in Poland. The activities and initiatives undertaken by the Union are aimed at integration and development of the region. Striving for this, the Union creates and disseminates the best models in the field of strategic governance local development.
Good strategic analysis is the basis of the right strategic decisions. Not only the best self-government authorities know this, but also the best self-government organizations that cooperate with them. One of them ordered a training on this subject from me. It was the “Association for the County”, an NGO which performs societal supervision over the implementation of the “Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Średzki County” and fills the gap between the actions of the county authorities and the needs of its inhabitants. This organization was also established to promote and implement the principles of sustainable development, build a local community that is aware of its rights and obligations, and act to improve the living conditions of the inhabitants of the Średzki County.
Strategic governance of the development of large and dynamically developing cities requires the use of IT tools. I also train on this topic by discussing the most modern and proven solutions in this area. My client was, among others, the authorities of the city of Konin, which is a city with county rights in the Greater Poland Voivodeship with 75.000 residents. It is one of the largest centers of the fuel and energy industry in Poland. Thanks to it Konin owes its dynamic development. The city also has developed aluminum processing, agri-food industry and building materials industry.
The Bolesławiec Economic Society (BES) was established in 1990. The main goals of BES are to provide assistance to businesses operation in the region, support business related decision processes by regional authorities, and promoting economic cross-border cooperation within the Euroregion Nysa.
In addition to training, I provide local authorities with individual consultations on the most important strategic decisions.
Jelenia Góra is a City with county rights in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship. It is a multi-functional city with developed industrial, academic, commerce, trade, logistics and administrative functions. Among other medium-sized cities, it is distinguished by the presence of the Cieplice Health Resort, the Karkonosze National Park and a number of other valuable natural sites and areas. In combination with an extremely rich history, multinational culture and numerous historic buildings, Jelenia Góra also has important health care, tourist and recreational functions.
The Janowice Wielkie Commune is a rural commune in the Jelenia Góra County. It is a typical tourist commune with an important share of agriculture and forestry. The most important values of this commune include the Rudawy Janowickie Mountains, which are rich in various rock forms, numerous hiking, bicycle and horse trails, the Bóbr River, the Rudawski Landscape Park and other forest areas, many historic buildings and rich fauna. Moreover, the commune has an extremely rich history and multinational cultural heritage. These functions are complemented by a modern automotive industry located in the local subzone of the Kamienna Góra Special Economic Zone for Small Business.
4. Organization, monitoring and evaluation of strategies implementation
Organizing strategies implementation I chaired the strategy implementation teams, developed implementation procedures and projects, trained city hall staff, and prepared drafts of council resolutions. Monitoring strategies implementation I built sets of monitoring indicators, developed IT implementation assessment tools and used them to learn how the various characteristics of communes/cities/counties/regions are changing. Evaluating strategies I additionally assessed strategies implementation extent, formulated conclusions and recommendations. Reference letters.
Jelenia Góra is a City with county rights in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship. It is a multi-functional city with developed industrial, academic, commerce, trade, logistics and administrative functions. Among other medium-sized cities, it is distinguished by the presence of the Cieplice Health Resort, the Karkonosze National Park and a number of other valuable natural sites and areas. In combination with an extremely rich history, multinational culture and numerous historic buildings, Jelenia Góra also has important health care, tourist and recreational functions.
The commune of Dobrzyniewo Duże belongs to the dynamically developing Białystok agglomeration. Important national communication routes run through it and in its close vicinity, e.g. the S8 expressway, national road No. 65 and railway line No. 38. Moreover, in the coming years, two extremely important transport routes of continental importance will cross in this commune. The first is the Via Carpatia road route leading from Lithuania through Slovakia and Hungary to Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, and the second is the Rail Baltica railway route leading from Finland through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Poland. Particularly important features of this commune also include: high interest of investors, positive migration balance, dynamic development of single-family housing, developed agriculture, Knyszyn Forest and other environmental values, unique history and rich local culture. All this creates many development opportunities, but also poses many serious challenges to the authorities. The desire to take advantage of these opportunities and meet the aforementioned challenges are the main reasons why the authorities of this commune entrusted me with the organization of the implementation of its development strategy.
About 1 million residents live in the Lubuskie Voivodeship. Its gross domestic product accounts for approx. 2.5% of Poland’s GDP. Calculated per capita, it amounts to approx. 85% of the national average, which places the voivodeship on the 9th place in relation to other voivodships.
Przemków is an urban-rural commune in the Polkowicki County. It is located on the edge of Bory Dolnośląskie forests and near the highly industrialized copper basin and large plants of the Legnicka Special Economic Zone. Due to the varied natural landscape, rich forest resources and a high level of cleanliness of the natural environment, the entire area of the commune is under the protection of the Przemkowski Landscape Park. Agriculture and fishing play an important role in its economy. Water accounts for over 8% of the commune’s area, incl. well-known Przemkowskie Ponds.
Polkowice is an urban-rural commune in the Polkowicki County. It is one of the richest communes in Poland because it is one of the main industrial centers of the Legnica-Głogów Copper Basin and an important area of activity of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. Therefore, copper mining and its processing dominate in economy of these commune, but the mining of accompanying salt and silver is also of great importance. This is also associated with the presence in the commune the largest in Europe flotation waste landfill “Żelazny Most” with a volume of 700 million m³ and dam lengths of 14.3 km. In addition, within the commune there is a subzone of the Legnica Special Economic Zone, which includes large plants: CCC, Volkswagen Motor Polska, Sitech, Sanden. Due to the very high budget revenues, the Polkowice Commune offers a very high standard of living for the residents, and at the same time is developing dynamically in both demographic and economic terms. What’s more, this happens with maximum concentration on the protection of natural resources.
Bogatynia is an urban-rural commune in the Zgorzelecki County. Due to the rich deposits of brown coal, the mining and energy industry is the dominant branch of the commune’s economy, which makes the commune one of the richest in Poland. It is represented by the PGE GiEK S.A. Branch of KWB “Turów” (mine) and PGE GiEK S.A. Turów Power Plant together with a number of companies supporting these enterprises. These companies employ a total of approximately seven thousand employees. Agriculture plays a supplementary role in the commune’s economy.
The Jeleniogórski County (new name Karkonoski County starting from 2020) is located in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship and has approx. 65.000 residents. It is an extraordinary conglomerate of tourist and recreational values. It results mainly from the lie of the land – from the highest point of the county (Śnieżka peak – 1,603 m above sea level), to the lowest (the Bóbr valley near Janowice Wielkie), the difference in levels is over 1000 m. This county has excellent touristic conditions, including for practicing: gliding and paragliding, canoeing, cycling and hiking, climbing, equestrianism, downhill and cross-country skiing, cultural and historical tourism, ecotourism, agritourism, fishing and many others. Its economy is therefore dominated by tourist and recreational, hotel, gastronomic and related services, but it is complemented by, among others, industry, medical services, trade and agriculture.
Konin is a city with county rights in the Greater Poland Voivodeship with approx. 75k residents. It is one of the largest centers of the fuel and energy industry in Poland (Zespół Elektrowni Pątnów Adamów Konin S.A., which owns the PAK KWB Konin S.A. and PAK KWB Adamów S.A. mines). It is thanks to it that Konin owes its dynamic development. The city also has developed aluminum processing, agri-food industry and building materials industry.
5. Other self-government’ strategic projects
In addition to the strategies and training sessions on the strategic governance, I have implemented a number of related projects for self-governments. These were, among others: strategies for solving social problems of cities (Kowary 2010, Polkowice 2015); entrepreneurship development strategies (Powiat Zgorzelecki 2004); strategies of cooperation between communes/cities and key local enterprises (Starachowice and SEZ Starachowice 1997, Rudna and KGHM PM 1996); economic development programs for communes/cities (Lądek Zdrój 1998, Węgliniec 1998, Wronki 1998, Marciszów 2003, Lubawka 2003, Sulików 2005, Wojcieszów 2005, Przemków 2010, Nowogrodziec 2002, Starachowice 1997), community development programs (Przemków 2010, Nowogrodziec 2002, Marciszów 2003, Lubawka 2003), cross-border cooperation programs of cities/communes (Marciszów 2005, Sulików 2005, Wojcieszów 2005). Reference letters.
I have also prepared fragments of: the development strategies of communes/cities of Drelów (2008), Jelcz-Laskowice (2007), Urzędów (2007), Piszczac (2008), Mały Płock (2003), Dziwnów (2007), Waganiec (2007), Rokitno (2007) ), Radków (2004), Łomazy (2008); the development strategies of counties Przeworski (2007), Słupecki (2012); revitalization programs for the cities of Tomaszów Lubelski, Bielawa, Maków Mazowiecki; integrated plans for the development of public transport in the cities of Jelenia Góra, Biała Podlaska, Leszno, Puławy; local development plans for communes/cities of Osiecznica, Nowogrodziec, Bogatynia. Reference letters.
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