Ms Alexandra Cehan (p), Mrs. Ema Corodescu-Rosca, Mr. Mihail Eva

The successful development of cities is usually associated with the collaboration between different stakeholders. However, collaboration networks in urban contexts are complex, and their real impact on local development is dependent on network structure, leadership configurations, types of relationships or purpose of collaboration. The current study examines the role of stakeholder networks on local development in urban contexts and the characteristics of these networks by mapping the stakeholders’ networks in two small cities from Romania. The two case studies, Beclean and Darabani, are similar through their demographic size, shaped by a shared post-socialist trajectory, but are significantly different in terms of accessibility, evolution and development levels. The research is based on semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from different fields of activity from each of the two cities, followed by Social Network Analysis and statistical analysis. The results highlight contrasting governance configurations. While both resulting networks are rather centralized, their leadership structures, purposes of collaboration and effects on local development differ significantly. In Beclean, the collaboration network was mainly centred around the local administration, which proved to have an essential role in attracting funding opportunities and developing essential local projects, while also bridging public and private actors along this process. The second case, Darabani, stands out through the presence of a local NGO which acted as a central stakeholder within the network, mobilizing community actors around the creation and development of an emblematic cultural event that generated notable social impacts and, to some extent, economic benefits. This study contributes to the understanding of emerging forms of urban governance in small cities by identifying the multi-layered characteristics of collaboration structures and the roles played by different categories of actors. The results of the study provide relevant insights for designing territorial policies that can contribute to promoting effective models of local governance in small cities.

This research was supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, CNCS—UEFISCDI. Project number: PN-IV-P2-2.1-TE-2023-2070. Project title: Advancing knowledge on spatial inequality and local development determinants: Theory vs Empirical evidence vs Public Stakeholders’ perception (TEPS)

Giovanni Baiocchetti (p)

Territorial policies in many European countries have often undergone a transition toward decentralised models, with an increasingly prominent role played by local authorities in their planning. Nevertheless, there are still policy areas where decision-making is established at a centralized level, with consequences for the local contexts they affect. This is the case of the definition of emergency areas in Italy, specifically related to natural disasters. When an emergency occurs after a natural event (such as an earthquake or a volcanic eruption), it is the State who defines which areas are to be considered affected. In delineating these areas, it usually adopts an administratively based regionalization that mirrors municipal, provincial, or regional administrative boundaries, even when these do not exactly match the actually affected area. Such a model of definition may generate a range of negative impacts on the territories involved, including: inequalities in the geographical distribution of financial aid; the exclusion of certain local authorities from emergency governance processes; landscape impacts that are detached from the local context; and inaccurate media communication regarding the areas that have been effectively affected, with negative consequences on tourism. This contribution is based on a review of Italian case studies, supported by images and cartographic materials, for which on-field semi-structured interviews were conducted with local institutional actors. The aim is to provide insights into how a top-down administrative “trap” in the definition and governance of emergencies in territories affected by natural events might be overcome.

Dr. Wojciech Jarczewski (p)

Decentralızatıon Of Publıc Servıces: A Model For Poland

The aim of this presentation is to present a model for the decentralization of public services using Poland as an example. The research was carried out using the following method:
a) analysis of the distribution of institutions performing national and regional public decision-making and control functions, as well as local administrative bodies;
b) analysis of the potential for locating and strengthening decision-making and control functions in particular centres;
c) review of international experience.

According to the proposed concept, deglomeration in Poland should serve three main purposes:

to avoid excessive concentration of public decision-making and control functions in the capital city (Warsaw);
to strengthen the polycentric structure of the settlement system by supporting urban centres that are important for the development of the country and its individual regions;
to maintain the efficiency, competence, and managerial capacity of public administration, and thus avoid the risk of excessive dispersal of public institutions.

Results obtained

As a result of the analysis, data were collected and examined on the location of 159 central administration institutions (including 135 in Warsaw), 648 branches and local offices of national institutions (including 36 in Warsaw), and 346 local administrative institutions (including 23 in Warsaw). On the basis of an indicator-based analysis, the potential for locating and strengthening decision-making and control functions in particular metropolitan, regional, and subregional centres was then assessed. A literature review was also carried out on deglomeration experiences in the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

Model development and discussion of results

On the basis of the results obtained, a model of deglomeration was developed according to the following assumptions:

limiting the transfer of institutions already located in Warsaw to new locations in other cities;
new national institutions with decision-making and control functions should not be located in the capital city;
strengthening decision-making and control functions in the public sector through the creation of new institutions, regional branches, and local offices, based on human capital and the existing institutional infrastructure.

In the final part of the presentation, an example will be given of how this model was applied in the process of identifying the optimal location for the Polish branch of the European Space Agency in 2026.