Integrated Urban Development of Vital Historic Towns as Regional Centres in South East Europe
The project ViTo capitalise on the results of INTERREG IIIB CADSES projects Hist.Urban and ADHOC. The experiences of both projects resulted in complementary, to be deepened field of actions to bring forward an integrated development based on the build cultural heritage as location factor and an important part of an integrated revitalisation approach. Small and medium sized historical towns have to make use of their excellent preconditions due to the attractive townscape and the mixed functions to become or sustain a centre for the whole region. They are stabilisers of the settlement structures in SEE, centres of public and private services and places of regional identity. Thus, they are key elements of the implementation of the Lisbon and Gothenburg Agenda goals. As proclaimed in the Leipzig Charter, it is needed to involve public and private partners, compromise their interests and set up management measures for the implementation of an integrated urban development. Therefore ViTo focuses on promoting transnational urban governance structures and implementing pilot measures to have visible results that improve the attractiveness of towns to foster their economic development in SEE. For that purpose the project is structured by the work packages: 1. Start- ups and analysis, 2. Integrated planning process and approaches, 3. Management of revitalisation and 4. Transnational governance approaches. Partners establishing cross-sectoral management teams to implement local project measures to demonstrate the transnational results of ViTo.Target groups will be identified and transnational strategies developed how to involve them in decision-making and implementation process. Methods to foster private investments in revitalisation will be developed and implemented. Common visions on integrated urban development will lead to concepts and actions plans based on previous transnational results.