Quality of Life for territorial and citizen-centric policies
#ESPONweek in Bled - Slovenia


Venue

Bled, Slovenia

Grand hotel Toplice

30 November 2021 to 2 December 2021

Cesta svobode 12
4260 Bled
Slovenia

The ESPON seminar “Quality of Life for territorial and citizen-centric policies” took place in Bled in a hybrid form, between 1 and 2 December 2021. The seminar brought together the latest research and policy challenges on the topic of quality of life and its impact on policymaking. Improving the Quality of Life is a key objective for policymakers at different scales, and this has become more relevant in the policy agenda along with increasing demands for the participation of citizens in the political process. But how can we measure the quality of life and its impact on policymaking?

Until now, the level of income and standard of living have been used to assess our personal success and Quality of Life. Yet, there is an ongoing discussion on how quality-of-life indicators can complement economic and social indicators to measure territorial development and link growth, prosperity and quality of life in a way that is reducing inequalities and harmful impacts on the environment. The COVID-19 outbreak, underlined new, unprecedented challenges that affect directly our living conditions. The potential changes to our way of life are manifold, as this crisis has spared no territory and has had uneven impacts at global and local levels. In this framework, the ESPON seminar brings together some of the most prominent organisations that are working on in Europe and combined them with insights from the latest ESPON studies that provide a newly developed methodology to assess QoL through a place-based and citizen-centric approach.

Follow the links to watch videos from the sessions and access the presentations. 

Welcome and opening

// Andrej Vizjak, Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Slovenia

// Wiktor Szydarowski, Director of ESPON EGTC

Keynote - The impacts of COVID on living conditions and quality of life in rural and urban areas

// Massimiliano Mascherini, Eurofound

Introduction to ESPON research: Measuring territorial Quality of Life – An outlook on Slovenia

// Blanka Bartol, Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Slovenia

// Vassilen Iotzov, ESPON EGTC

// Janez Nared, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts

Policy debate: Quality of Life for territorial and citizen-centric policies

// Romina Boarini, Director of Centre for Well-Being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity, OECD

// Franc Bogovič, Member of the European Parliament

// Lili Madjar, Director of the Regional Agency of the Ljubljana Urban region

// Alenka Smerkolj, Secretary General, Alpine Convention

// Wiktor Szydarowski, Director, ESPON EGTC

Territorial Scenarios for the Danube and Adriatic Ionian Macro-regions

Moderator: Franziska Sielker, University of Cambridge (UK)

// Maria Toptsidou, Spatial Foresight (LU)

// Lenča Humerca Šolar, Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning (SI)

// Mathilde Konstantopoulou, Ministry of Development & Investments (EL)

// Robert Lichtner, Danube Strategic Point, EUSDR, (AT)

// Wiktor Szydarowski, Director, ESPON EGTC

Re-setting tourism industry for improving quality of life for residents

Moderator: Tomaž Miklavčič, Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning (SI)

// Majda Odar, Triglav National Park and Unesco Biosphere Reserve management (SI)

// Klemen Langus, Turizem Bohinj (SI)

// Miro Kristan, Posoški razvojni center (SI) 

// Bernd Schuh, OIR (AT)

Communicating science to policy makers

With the support of senior journalists and professionals in communication matters, this session will focus on providing hints on how to better communicate science to policy makers, while taking example out of recent ESPON research activities.

Moderator: Nikos Lampropoulos, ESPON EGTC (LU)

// Jon Worth, Journalist and editor (UK/DE)

// Alessandra Briganti, Journalist at ANSA (IT)

// Natasa Briski, Journalist, co-founder of metinalista.si (SI)

Digital innovation in governance and public service provision: how to generate public value and increase the quality of life through digital transformation

Moderator: Martin Gauk, ESPON EGTC (LU)

// Grazia Concilo Politecnico di Milano (IT)

// Michelangelo Sechhi Politecnico di Milano (IT)

// Michael Mulquin, Open and Agile Smart Cities (UK)

// Mika Kataikko, City of Jyväskylä (FI)

// Marcos Nogueira, H2020-AURORAL (BE)

Cohesion Policy and Quality of Life. The role of metropolitan areas

Coordinator: Piera Petruzzi, ESPON egtc

Moderator: Lia Brum, Metropolis (ES)

//   Alessandra Barbieri, Municipality of Florence (IT)

//  Christophe Demaziere, DEMAZIERE (FR)

//  Claudia Fassero, Citta Metropolitana di Torino (IT)

//  Clémentine Dubois, Metropolitan Area of Lyon (FR)             

//   Filipe Ferreira, Lisbon Metropolitan Area (PT)

//   Giancarlo Cotella, Politecnico di Torino (IT)

//   Jacek Zaucha / Iwona Sagan, Institute for development (PL)

//   Joanna Bogdziewicz-Wróblewska, Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area (PL)

//   Luděk Sýkora, Charles University (CZ)

//   Marc Marti Costa, Barcelona Institute of Regional and Metropolitan Studies (ES)

//   Mario Vale, University of Lisbon (PT)

//   Pietro Reviglio, Eurocities (BE)

//   Sandrine De Meyer, perspective.brussels (BE)

//   Xavi Tiana, Barcelona Metropolitan Area (ES)

//   Zaiga Krišjāne, University of Latvia, LV

Territorial indicators based on big data from private digital platforms

Moderator: Zintis Hermansons, ESPON EGTC

// Jan-Philipp Kramer and Georg Klose, Prognos AG (DE)

// Juergen Wastl, Digital Science (UK)

// Luigi La Riccia, Politecnico di Torino (IT)

The ESPON seminar was organised in cooperation with the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council in the framework of the ESPON week (29 November to 2 December 2021). During the week ESPON also released:

Documents

SI ESPON week draft programme 29 11 2021.pdf

  • Acrobat Document | 506KB