VASAB Conference “Competitiveness of Small & Medium-Sized Cities in the Baltic Sea Region”

WATCH THE CONFERENCE HERE.

VASAB Conference “Competitiveness of Small & Medium-Sized Cities in the Baltic Sea Region” took place on 4 June 2019 in Riga, Latvia.

Cities are economic drivers and social hubs, attempting to ensure good services and livable spaces for their citizens and attracting new inhabitants, businesses and other recourses. Demographic challenges, shrinking and urbanization of development areas – these are the main characteristics that small and medium-sized cities in the BSR are facing today. Their development and specialization strategies are crucial to adapt the global and local challenges and to capitalize their resources and assets to strengthen their attractiveness and competitiveness. Moreover, cities and towns have significant role and potential for balanced territorial development.

The Conference looked on the cities and towns from the perspective of their role, challenges, potentials and good practices to strengthen and contribute to the competitiveness of the Baltic Sea Region and thus providing substantial input to the joint competitiveness of Europe. It discussed the opportunities and faced challenges of small and medium-sized cities and towns, their future prospects beyond 2020 in order to achieve greater coherence within the Baltic Sea Region and hence in the wider Europe.

The Conference was targeted to the politicians, policy advisers, experts, practitioners and other relevant audience engaged in fostering sustainable development of cities.

The Conference was organized by the Latvian VASAB chairmanship. VASAB (“Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea”) is intergovernmental multilateral co-operation of 10 countries of the Baltic Sea Region in spatial planning and development.

Please find all presentations and photos below!