The last national workshop organised as part of the Ready4NetZero project is behind us. This time, the event was hosted by the City of Cieszyn, which welcomed representatives of city offices from Dzierżoniów and Piastów on 12-13 December 2024. The topics of the third workshop focused on two themes: the development of blue-green infrastructure and energy management.
The event began with a welcome to all participants by Przemysław Major, deputy mayor of the City of Cieszyn, and Anna Jaskuła, director of the office of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités”. Then, during the lecture session, the first presenter was Aleksander Dorda, head of the Department of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of the Cieszyn City Office, who introduced the standards for shaping and managing green areas in the city. The speaker focused on presenting Cieszyn's efforts in climate change adaptation and greenery management and discussed standards for green space care and protection, including guidelines for managers and contractors. The presentation highlighted the role of green spaces in rainwater retention, climate protection and improving the quality of life for residents. Projects such as the creation of pocket parks, flower meadows and the use of permeable paving were also presented. The presentation showed the city's commitment to sustainability and an innovative approach to green space management that takes into account the role of residents in its planning.
The next presentation was given by Ireneusz Bieńkowski, chief specialist for climate and energy project implementation at the Piastów City Office, who presented the results of the project entitled “Creation of a green and blue infrastructure in the City of Piastów”. The main objective of the project was to reduce the city's vulnerability to progressive climate change, as well as to prevent and adapt to its effects. A number of investments related to the development of green-blue infrastructure in the city, such as extensive green roofs, green walls, green bus stops, rain gardens and pergolas have been created. In many locations, ground sealing has also been removed through the use of permeable paving
At the end of this part of the workshop, the floor was taken by Urszula Baczyńska-Śleziak, director of the Development Department at the Kęty Municipality Office, who discussed the four pocket parks planned to be created in the municipality. The project aims to increase the attractiveness of green areas by modernising existing and creating new recreational parks and making them accessible to residents. In order to increase biodiversity, wildlife shelters will be created in all gardens and alleys. As a result of the project, an area of 2.44 ha will be transformed. For the implementation of the investment, the Kęty Municipality received funding of almost 8 million PLN.
After the theoretical part, the group went on a walk around the city, during which they were able to see first-hand the results of the creation of a “Green Network” in the city centre of Cieszyn. Participants were able to admire the revitalised park at Holy Trinity Church, the newly created pocket park at the corner of Bielska Street and Wyższa Brama Street, the new urban micro-green space at the corner of Wyższa Brama Street and Church Square, the revitalised Chestnut Park or the Market Square with tree planting. Thanks to the implementation of blue-green infrastructure projects, Cieszyn is becoming a city that effectively combines modernity with care for the environment. The completed investments increase the city's resilience to climate change, improve rainwater retention and support biodiversity conservation. These projects not only reduce the negative impact on the environment, but also improve the quality of life for residents by offering recreational spaces and user-friendly urban solutions. The example of Cieszyn shows that even smaller cities can set the course for sustainable development by becoming leaders in local climate change adaptation and promoting innovative approaches to urban space management.
The day ended with a workshop session on cities' pilot measures on climate protection, led by Izabela Kusnier, project manager at the Association. The presenter reminded participants of the most important projects planned to be implemented in the coming years in each of the pilot cities, which support the achievement of the set climate goals. These actions were identified by representatives of the pilot cities and presented on a timeline to 2050 at the first national workshop. Then, participants were asked to share the actions that they believe bring their respective cities closest to achieving climate neutrality, and of which they are most proud. Participants pointed out examples in the areas of community engagement, mobility, greenery, renewable energy or energy efficiency. The City of Cieszyn has implemented a number of investments in mobility and urban greenery, the most important of which include the modernisation of the interchange hub, the replacement of city buses with electric ones, the construction of a 50 kW PV installation to power electric buses, the creation of a “Green Grid” in the city centre, as well as the development of standards for green space maintenance and a comprehensive approach to greenery planning. In turn, the City of Dzierżoniów is developing inter-municipal cooperation in the field of transport, creating new parking spaces with permeable paving, and focusing on the development of renewable energy sources through the construction of biomass installations and the installation of PV on public buildings. Meanwhile, the City of Piastów is betting on the development of geothermal energy. At the end of 2023, the drilling of the Piastów GT-1 geothermal borehole was completed, which reached a depth of 2,030 m with the extracted water having a temperature of 51.5°C. The city is also focusing on developing green-blue infrastructure by creating rain gardens, green roofs, etc. These actions indicate the pilot cities' diverse approaches to sustainability and highlight local priorities in the journey towards climate neutrality.
The second day of the workshop started with a presentation given by Eryk Stępień, representative of the Mayor of Cieszyn for energy efficiency. The speaker presented the energy management system for public facilities, which was implemented as part of the project “Cieszyn – a self-sufficient city”. During the presentation, the background to the project, the key stages of its implementation and the results achieved, such as the reduction of heating costs or optimisation of energy consumption, were presented. After an introduction to energy management, the group went on a site visit to the Cieszyn's Olympians Sports and Entertainment Hall, where representatives of PROMAR Sp. z o.o. - a leader on the Polish market in optimising energy consumption and remotely managing technical infrastructure in buildings - introduced the participants to practical solutions used in the facility.
We would like to sincerely thank the City Office of Cieszyn, the Deputy Mayor and all those involved in organising the event for their hospitality and professional support. Appreciation is also extended to all the participants for their presence, commitment, and valuable contributions during the workshop. We believe that the meeting was an inspiring opportunity to share knowledge, ideas and solutions that will contribute to sustainable development in the pilot cities.
Presentations [PL]
Presentations will soon be available on PNEC website. Below you will find a list of them and the topics they covered.
Day I
- Standards for shaping and managing green areas of the City of Cieszyn, Aleksander DORDA, Cieszyn City Office
- Results of the project “Creation of green and blue infrastructure in the City of Piastów”, Ireneusz BIEŃKOWSKI, Piastów City Office
- Pocket parks in Kęty as a way to revitalise green spaces and address current social needs, Urszula BACZYŃSKA-ŚLEZIAK, Kęty Municipality Office
Day II
- Energy management system for public facilities in Cieszyn, Eryk STĘPIEŃ, Cieszyn City Office
Ready4NetZero is a EUKI funded project coordinated by the Polish Network “ENERGIE CITÉS”, with a consortium formed of the Ecologic Institute from Germany, ENERGIAKLUB from Hungary, REGEA from Croatia, and Energy Cities Romania. Ready4NetZero aims to support cities from the participating countries in developing and implementing 2050 climate neutrality strategies and seeks to do this by building capacity, knowledge, and skills among local leaders, municipal staff, and local stakeholders, facilitating experiences exchange and dialogue between local authorities.