The aim of the project was to implement an effective urban regeneration planning course at Alecu Russo State University in Balți, Moldova. The purpose of the course was to teach the participants (teachers, students, PhD students, members of NGOs, local administration and councillors, or other local actors) how to work with the basic principles of urban renewal and development planning (especially in the post-socialist reality), taking into account their considerable physical damage and moral obsolescence due to the internal problems Moldova has been facing for a long time, such as the violation of the country's territorial integrity or the presence of a large and not very adaptable pro-Russian minority. Thus, the country is experiencing a gradual erosion not only of its building stock, but also of its basic transport and technical infrastructure, due to its neglect and moral obsolescence. The course therefore focused on linking knowledge and processes in strategic planning and management in the public sector with spatial and territorial planning processes and available economic tools. The purpose of the project was for the participants to gain knowledge about contemporary trends in urban and regional planning, to avoid outdated solutions when planning urban renewal and to use tools for urban development that are optimized for current opportunities and requirements, among other things, in terms of critical infrastructure protection, sustainable development, the use of modern technologies (e.g. the SMART City concept) and limiting the impacts of climate change. Lessons learned from democratisation and participation in the public sphere through public participation in the planning and renewal of cities and regions were used in designing pathways for the redevelopment of derelict areas (brownfields).
The project was divided into several phases, the main one being the implementation of a five-day training course held directly at the Alecu Russo State University in Balți on 24-29 September. The course included direct on-site lectures translated into Romanian, as well as interactive activities in the form of practice games and simulations (e.g. in the area of participation or formulation of strategic visions and objectives), and group preparation of local projects addressing local problems. In this part of the course, four different projects were developed under the supervision of Czech experts, focusing on aspects of the development of Balți (revitalisation of an industrial area, creation of a recreational nature park around the town lake, reconstruction of a sports club and last but not least the first proposal for the separation and recycling of municipal waste in the town).
The second important stage of the project was the trip of a group of the best graduates to Prague. Four students and two academics from Alec Russo Balti State University took part in a week-long field trip to see examples of good practice in Prague. During the excursion, a rich program was prepared for the group, during which they visited a number of sites built during the revitalization of brownfields in Prague, such as Rohanský ostrov (Rohan City), Smíchov railway station (Terminal Smíchov), as well as sites around Holešovice Palmovka (Doky), Arena Praha (Harfa) and others. The group also visited the Institute of Planning and Development of the City of Prague (City Planning Section and CAMP), or the NGO Ekocentrum Koniklec (Counting with Water project). Of course, the focus was also on visiting facilities essential for the sustainable functioning of the city, such as the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant and its New Water Line in Prague-Troja. The next point of the visit was the headquarters of EKOKOM, a recycling company dedicated to the organization of recyclable waste collection in the Czech Republic. The feedback questionnaires of the participants showed that all participants were very satisfied with the content and course of the excursion, regretting only the bad weather that prevailed during their stay in Prague (snow, frost and rain) and made it impossible to visit the selected sites of revitalization in a nature-friendly way.
The project was concluded with the publication of a teaching material in Romanian entitled "Urban Development Planning and Renewal in a Transition Economy", distributed in printed form in 260 copies, mainly to teachers and students at the Alecu Russo State University in Balti and other course participants from local stakeholders in Balti, but also to other interested parties in the surrounding regions. An electronic version is available for other interested parties on the website of the development project https://www.muvs.cvut.cz/moldavsko/.
The project was implemented by Dr. Michael Pondělíček, doc. Vladimíra Šilhánková and dr. Lucia Dobrucká.
