ICLEI Member Katowice is a post-industrial city, located in the Upper Silesian metropolitan area of Poland. Once noted as a major mining hub, the city has, over the last decades, sought to use ambitious sustainability action to shape its reinvention.
Through the use of innovative apps and digital campaigns, the city has mobilised local residents, working with them to make their city more sustainable. Through the wCOP drzewo <tree> app, residents can suggest places in the city where new trees should be planted. And through the NaprawmyTo.pl <Let'sFixit.pl> app, residents can identify problems - ranging from the need for new traffic signs, to maintenance needed to sidewalks - which they would like the City to address.
To date, the city has experienced impressive results, including: the planting of 600 trees, the repair of 11,000 structural defects across the city, and increases in the amount and quality of urban green space. In addition, the city has removed rubbish from over 30 hectares of land, and transformed a number of car parking spaces into parklets – areas where local residents can meet, socialise, and hold cultural events.
In recognition of their work, the City was awarded the 2020 Transformative Action Award – a European urban sustainability award given to cities, regions, or civil society organisations who use the pathways of the Basque Declaration to transform their societies.
Six months after winning the award, we correspond with Wioleta Niziołek-Żądło, Social Projects Coordinator, City of Katowice, to discuss what winning the award has meant to them, what sustainability plans the city has in store, and how they have sought to use the €10,000 prize fund of the Transformative Action Award to bolster their sustainability work.
What has winning the 2020 Transformative Action Award meant to the City of Katowice? What has the reaction been among citizens and stakeholders to the City winning the award?
“Winning the award is of great importance to us because of the international recognition it brought to the city. It is also proof that we are working in the right direction, and that innovative activities - even those that don’t have a large budget – can lead to tangible results, when local residents are involved.”
What future sustainability plans does the city have? And how has the COVID-19 pandemic affected them?
“COVID-19 made us think even more about what it means to be a sustainable city. Katowice continues to develop projects related to sustainable transport and city traffic calming, including investment in new bicycle routes. The City will build, among other things, a bicycle path in the place of the former sand railway. Engaging the local community and implementing green initiatives are among the most important urban policy goals the City has for the coming years. Achieving a transition toward the circular economy will also be an important challenge.”
The Basque Declaration supports cities in their implementation of international goals and commitments, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Climate Agreement, and the European Green Deal. How is Katowice using the Basque Declaration to meet these goals?
“In Katowice, we pay particular attention to air quality activities, for example providing financial incentives to encourage residents use environmental sources of heat. We support the development of sustainable urban mobility (for example, we have built park and ride facilities to limit the number of cars entering the city centre, and introduced low traffic neighbourhoods). More than 50 percent of Katowice is covered with forests, but we are constantly trying to increase the share of green space in the city, especially in the most urbanised areas. We involve local residents in this work through our apps, where residents can work with the City to plant trees and sow meadows with flowers. In 2022, Katowice will host the World Urban Forum. To learn more about the Forum and projects we are implementing to reach the sustainable development goals, visit: wuf11.katowice.eu.”
What sustainability challenges does Katowice face and how have you utilized the 10,000 EUR prize fund to overcome them?
“We plan to use the prize money to develop an urban gardening and farming project in the city. We are currently preparing a project that will encourage residents to establish community gardens and farms, which will be integrated into local communities. The activity will be combined with a gardening and farming school, and the preparation of a simple guide that will provide local residents with advice on how they can set up their own community garden.”
If you were to encourage other cities to apply for this year’s award, what would you say?
“Don't wonder if your project deserves an award or not. If it is authentic, engages the local community, and produces tangible results, simply report it. The award is a great honour and is a source of pride for both the local government and the partners and residents involved.”
The 2021 Transformative Action Award
If you are inspired by Katowice’s Transformative Action Award win, or know a city, region, or civil society organisation who you think deserves to be recognised as a leader of sustainable urban transformation in Europe (as well as €10,000 to kick-start their next sustainability project), then encourage them to apply for the 2021 edition of the award.
For more information about the award and to submit an entry before the 31 July application deadline, visit www.sustainablecities.eu.