Strengthening the institutional capacity of cities in Poland for comprehensive local development focusing on sustainable cities.

The part of the project implemented by the Association of Polish Cities addresses key institutional barriers that limit the ability of Polish cities to effectively plan, implement and monitor development activities. The most significant challenge is the insufficient institutional capacity of some local governments, reflected in the quality of strategic planning, preparation of project documents, risk analysis, and the difficulty of translating diagnoses into practical implementation and investment actions. These challenges particularly affect the cities participating in the Local Development Programme, which – in addition to financial resources – require high‑quality advisory support, management standards, educational tools and analytical assistance.

An additional challenge for cities, as potential applicants, is the growing demographic pressure, depopulation in some areas, the consequences of the war in Ukraine, threats to local safety and climate‑related phenomena, all of which require strengthening urban resilience and the quality of public governance. For subregional cities, a key challenge is maintaining the polycentric model of national development while facing a shortage of competencies needed to manage complex development processes. Another important barrier is the still insufficient, systematic exchange of knowledge between cities and the limited ability to benefit from the experience of Polish and Norwegian partners in an organised and practical way.

The objective of the component implemented by the Association of Polish Cities is to strengthen the institutional capacity of cities participating in the Local Development Programme by providing them with advisory, educational, communication and networking support at all stages of the programme cycle. The project aims to enhance cities’ ability to respond effectively to challenges and risks by improving the quality of planning, management, document preparation and the implementation of urban investments, including better use of integrated approaches and risk management.

In parallel, the project builds a durable cooperation platform between cities, enabling knowledge exchange, dissemination of good practices, learning through experience and the development of bilateral cooperation with Norwegian partners. These objectives are pursued through: support to the Programme Operator in preparing documents and procedures; educational activities (seminars, webinars, tutorials, workshops, conferences); on‑demand individual consultancy; strategic advisory support for subregional cities; information and communication activities; development of a communication platform; organisation of study visits; experience‑exchange networks; a good‑practice competition; and publications supporting the implementation of urban solutions. The Association of Polish Cities serves as an entity enhancing the overall quality of programme implementation.

The part of the project implemented by the Association of Polish Cities is expected to deliver lasting institutional, capacity‑building, organisational and networking results that will support cities both during the implementation of the Local Development Programme and after its completion. The most important expected result is the strengthening of cities’ institutional capacity in planning and implementing development projects, which will translate into higher‑quality strategic and project documents, better‑prepared investments and a greater ability to respond to risks.

The project will also improve the quality of development‑process management, including risk analysis, application of state‑aid rules, organisation of consultations, delivery of educational activities and effective use of expert advisory support. It will generate durable knowledge products such as management procedures, educational materials, tutorials, publications, advisory tools and sets of good practices, all of which will be accessible to interested municipalities.

Cooperation between cities will be strengthened through the development of a communication platform, experience‑exchange networks, study visits and bilateral cooperation with Norwegian partners. The direct beneficiaries of these results will be the cities participating in the Programme, their management teams and municipal employees, while residents of cities and subregions will benefit indirectly. The indicators include: 12 trainings, 240 trained municipal‑sector employees and 8 study visits, complemented by a broad package of educational and communication activities that go beyond the formal indicator set.