Preparations for the planned trip to Moldova, where a course entitled "Transfer of Experience in Urban Planning and Renewal to Moldova" will be implemented within the framework of the Czech Foreign Aid organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the Czech Development Agency, are culminating at the Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies. The purpose and goal of the project is to transfer positive experiences in the field of planning and development to the territory of Moldova, which is plagued by the problems of post-communist economy and strong influence of Russia. The project will present contemporary practices and processes in regional development, strategic and spatial planning for development and regional renewal after the negative impact of previous regimes.
At the beginning of the project, a group of Czech experts from MIAS will first move to Bălți, Moldova, for a one-week training course, where they will present the procedures and experience in planning the development and reconstruction of underdeveloped areas.
The project is carried out in cooperation with the Alecu Rossu State University in Bălti, which is the regional educational centre for the northern part of Moldova. In cooperation with the University of Bălti, a one-week course on the restoration of the region's territory will be implemented for students, interested local administrators, teachers and PhD students, which will enable them to work with the public, develop the regions' hidden resources, as well as restore economic activity in the country.
After the first training session in Moldova, a group will be selected on the basis of several criteria to visit the Czech Republic and gain experience from development projects already implemented there.
The representatives of MIAS hope that the courses will fulfil their purpose and lift up the region and Moldova as a whole. The project is funded by the Czech Development Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.