The outcome of the Interreg Central Europe project MECOG-CE, titled “We are the Metropolitan Areas – Our Common Metropolitan Vision”, stands as a strategic document that underscores the pivotal role of metropolitan areas in shaping European and national policies.
This comprehensive framework represents a long-term and shared commitment of metropolitan leaders, stakeholders, and actors to foster the development of metropolitan societies and their regions. It aims to maximize the positive impact of metropolitan areas on Europe’s overall prosperity and quality of life while advocating for the strengthening of metropolitan governance.
Developed within the MECOG-CE project by the Charles University, in collaboration with all partners including METREX, the Common Metropolitan Vision sets a course for enhancing metropolitan cooperation and governance in Central Europe.
Metropolitan Areas: Drivers of Resilient and Sustainable Development
Our Common Metropolitan Vision recognizes the potential of metropolitan areas to tackle significant societal challenges and foster resilient, sustainable, and inclusive development across European, national, and regional landscapes. However, to fully realize this potential and effectively pursue policy objectives, metropolitan areas require sufficient competences and resources. The Vision advocates for increased engagement of local governments in dialogues concerning systematic and comprehensive urban policies at both European and national levels.
Recognition of metropolitan areas
Metropolitan areas are acknowledged as functional urban regions comprising urban cores and their surrounding territories. Serving as both local and regional centres, large cities and small towns play pivotal roles in fostering integrated labour and housing markets interconnected through commuting and mobility. The governance mechanisms within these areas facilitate cooperation among diverse stakeholders from the public, private, and citizen sectors.
Motivation for the Common Metropolitan Vision
The formulation of the Common Metropolitan Vision was driven by the growing significance of metropolitan areas in both national and European development and policy-making. Recognizing the potentials and advantages of metropolitan cooperation, planning, and governance is deemed crucial. The Common Metropolitan Vision outlines the requirements of metropolitan areas, emphasizing the need to enhance their institutional capabilities to enable effective cooperation and governance for the timely and efficient delivery of public services.
The Common Metropolitan Vision structure
The Common Metropolitan Vision comprises three integral components:
- Vision for Metropolitan Areas: Paints a comprehensive picture of a future state for metropolitan areas, societies, and governance that is both aspirational and attainable.
- Metropolitan Strengths and Commitments: Spotlights the current and potential resources, capabilities, knowledge, and skills inherent in metropolitan societies, stakeholders, and leadership. These are harnessed to address major societal challenges, implement policy priorities, and achieve declared goals.
- Metropolitan Empowerment: Tackles organizational and procedural challenges, proposing viable solutions to overcome existing limitations in metropolitan cooperation and governance. The aim is to fortify the capacity, effectiveness, and efficiency of metropolitan policy-making.
The metropolitan dimension is unequivocally acknowledged as a fundamental cornerstone for cooperation, playing a vital role in addressing significant societal challenges and advancing sustainable prosperity goals more effectively.
For further details please visit the website of MECOG-CE and download the Vision report.
