SAVE THE DATE: METREX Spring Conference
1-4 June 2025 , Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area
Forging a Metropolitan region & Setting a European Metropolitan Agenda
About Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area (MAGGS)
This self-government association was established on October 15, 2011 at the initiative of the mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz. It currently brings together 61 cities, communes and counties, covering 1/3 of the Pomerania region in northern Poland, inhabited by over 1.6 million people.
The main goal of the MAGGS is to develop the Tri-City metropolis so that it becomes an increasingly better place to live, work, study, and raise children, a magnet for investors. The association focuses on the best possible use of the region’s potential, as well as cooperation with local entrepreneurs, scientists, and social organizations.
Since 2015, it has participated in the implementation of investments co-financed by the European Union, completing the implementation of 179 projects, the value of which exceeded PLN 2 billion, including EU funding of PLN 1.12 billion. These funds were used to build 24 transfer hubs, renovate over 200 public buildings and over 700 households, revitalize 13 districts in 8 cities, build two new geriatric hospitals, establish social enterprises, and assist almost 18,000 unemployed people and those at risk of poverty and exclusion. Additionally, as part of 23 projects from the national program, buses, trams, and trolleybuses were purchased, new tram lines were built, and heating networks worth PLN 1.3 billion were built and modernized, with EU funding of PLN 614 million. Building a better place to live, MAGGS plans to implement new investments and projects co-financed from the European Union budget for 2021-2027 in the near future, in the amount of nearly PLN 1.3 billion.
Cover image: Gdynia, Konrad Kędzior
Gdansk Spring Conference, June 2025
From our METREX Manifesto to setting a European Metropolitan Agenda
In alignment with the METREX Manifesto for Metropolitan Partnerships, we recognize that metropolitan regions and areas are uniquely positioned to address the multifaceted challenges we face today. By understanding the bigger picture and translating it to a metropolitan scale, we can collaboratively find solutions with local partners.
Post-Manifesto Actions
Following the launch of our Manifesto for Metropolitan Partnerships in November 2023 and the METREX conferences in Brussels and Bucharest in 2024, we now will finalise our European Metropolitan Agenda for both national and EU institutions to recognise:
- Developing Approaches to Urgent Planning Issues; Enhancing our fundamental professional capabilities to tackle pressing spatial planning challenges.
- Organisational Adaptation; Becoming more agile, efficient, and accessible in our organisational structure.
- Forging a Metropolitan Future for Europe; Encouraging active participation in shaping a future-oriented metropolitan vision for Europe.
Spring Conference in Brussels, May 2024
At our Spring Conference in Brussels, we focused on:
– New Challenges in Spatial Planning; Deliberating on current pressing issues and evaluating our readiness for the future both organizationally and in our planning approaches.
– Equipping ourselves for the future; Providing comprehensive support to staff, ensuring they have the skills, tools, and resources necessary to effectively tackle complex metropolitan challenges.
A detailed report from the Brussels conference is available here in PDF
Bucharest Autumn Conference, October 2024
The Bucharest autumn conference focused on integrating several key components to support our members in building a robust organisational framework capable of addressing new spatial planning challenges:
- The Romanian context: Understanding regional specifics and contextual challenges.
- Thematic and Parallel Workshop Sessions: TBC.: Financing Metropolitan Development, Transport, No Net Land Take, Economic Development.
- Strategic Integration: Combining these elements to ensure we are not only prepared for the future but also proactive in shaping new policy statements towards EU and national institutions.
- Searching for a political steer in formulating a European Metropolitan Agenda.
A detailed report from the Bucharest conference is available here in PDF
Parallel to these conferences, the Interreg Central Europe project started on Metropolitan Cooperation and Governance (MECOG-CE), led by the Metropolitan Region of Brno and joined by Warsaw, Ostrava, Berlin-Brandenburg, Torino, Stuttgart and two universities. The project is halfway, at point where strategies for forming metropolitan regions are developed.
Also, in-depth Foresighting workshops have taken place.
This all forms an excellent basis to come to the definition of a European Metropolitan Agenda to be sent to Members of the European Parliament and the EU Commission, as well as national governments, also using the Polish EU Presidency.
Gdansk Spring Conference, June 2025
The 3-day conference program will follow soon.
Main Topics include:
- Forging an European Metropolitan Agenda including the development of the Gdańsk – Sopot – Gdynia metropolitan region
- Towards an integrated Spatial Planning
- Economic Development for Metropolitan Regions and Areas
