1. Outcomes of the 1 st Workshop in PP 10 Municipality Satu Mare STATUS Midterm Project Meeting 9-11 December 2013, Schwechat, AT Valentin Santoma, project manager Satu Mare City Hall Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013

2. WS 1: Territorial Governance and Urban Issues Dates: 28-29 November 2013 Location: Valea Mariei, Satu Mare 38 – stakeholders, experts, LPMT Experts/ moderators: Euroconsult / Arete Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013

3. WORKGROUPS Urban Planning, Infrastructure, Mobility Education, Healthcare, Social Protection, Culture, Sports Economy Tourism Environment Landscape Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013

4. WORKGROUP 1 – Social Issues Continuing aging tendency, continuing emigration trend Despite recent investments, healthcare infrastructure is still wanting, qualified medical staff number is decreasing Decreasing quality of education Little control over work force dynamics In spite of low life expectancy, there is little support for mass sports activities Conclusion: The most pressing social issues in Satu Mare are focused under the themes of work-force re-qualification in the technical sector, massive migration of young population, and decreasing quality of health services. Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013

5. WORKGROUP 2 – Economy and tourism Severe migration of the work force Significant export dependency Need for higher added value industrial branches Lack of R&D activities, few high-tech industrial activities Insufficient technical higher education profiles and graduates Poor touristic services and infrastructure: info centers, trained personnel Conclusion: Considering the industrial tradition and the excellent location of Satu Mare in relation to the border and the European highway network, the stagnating economy and tourism make it very difficult to take full advantage of the many strong points that the city has to offer. Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013

6. WORKGROUP 3 – Urban planning, Infrastructure and mobility Lack of a city by-pass road and corresponding bridge Little control of urban sprawl, which leads to insufficiency of the infrastructure: road, sewage, water The Somes river functions as a barrier, it is not yet an integral part of urban life Intensive use of private cars, in detriment of public transportation Several inner-city industrial sites (textiles, machine-building, household appliances, furniture) No rail infrastructure The architectural heritage needs rehabilitation Some 20% of the street infrastructure still needs to be overhauled Conclusion: Urban issues in Satu Mare stem from considerable mobility and accesibility issues. Decaying architectural heritage affects the image of the city and quality of life. Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013

7. WORKGROUP 4 – Environment and Landscape Air quality – otherwise rather good - is influenced negatively by rather intense traffic The Somes river is in a moderate ecological state Presence of asbestos in water collection and distribution network Environmentally inefficient water distribution system due to partially old and degraded infrastructure Insufficient culture for separate waste disposal and recycling Conclusion: There is an obvious need for an integrated look at environmental issues in Satu Mare. Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013

8. Governance and Stakeholders Insufficient inter-institutional communication Lack of correlated data bases Inadequate institutional transparency Available data is sometimes outdated, important indicators are often not covered Scarcity of funding often leads to incoherent national, regional and local planning, lack of coordination between different level policy making processes, arbitrary decisions Conclusion: There is an obvious need for an integrated perspective and coherent action plan regarding development at national, regional and local level Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013

9. Satu Mare Geoblog Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013

10. CONCLUSIONS The stakeholders have been very communicative and eager to participate in the discussions. The sectorial SWOT analyses prepared by the experts have been a good basis to develop from. In order to ensure follow-up, the conclusions of the workshop will be disseminated among participants and feedback is expected on their part to help draft the problems – solutions – objectives trees. Also, many of the participants will be expected to contribute with up-to-date information to the elaboration of the frame of reference for the strategy Overlapping issues: governance and communication among institutions; outdated statistics which make it hard to make an objective assessment of the current situation and future trends. Topics to focus on for the next workshops: elaborate an accurate frame of reference, carefully analyze trends, prioritize problems and identify the best means to address them Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013

11. Strategic Territorial Agenda for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9-10 May 2013 Thank you! Strategic Territorial Agendas for „Small and Medium-sized Towns” Urban Systems – STATUS, 9 December 2013