The European Capital of Youth 2023 has joined the group of regional cities where the largest real estate companies invest. During the eighth meeting in the series W 8 QUESTIONS AROUND THE CITY, organized by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Poland, Krzysztof Żuk, mayor of Lublin, argued that a generational change must take place in cities, and a properly conducted investment policy attracts new residents and investors to the city .
– Next year, as the European Capital of Youth 2023, we will represent cities that are committed to a generational change, but one that is well thought-out, with the involvement of young people in all processes related to the creation of a city. This is a challenge that cities are facing – a generational change is taking place and it must be accomplished – declared Krzysztof Żuk, Mayor of Lublin. – We currently have a new strategy – Lublin 2030 and we value cooperation with partners who want to take responsibility for the city with us. I believe that they should be especially young people, because in fact these changes are being prepared for them – declared the president.
Demography, however, is inexorable and the capital of the Lublin region, like many other centers in Poland, is struggling with a decline in the number of inhabitants – about 1.5-2 thousand people decrease every year. residents. Lublin tries not only to attract new residents, but also to retain graduates. – We have over 60,000 students from Poland and over 7.4 thousand from abroad. Currently, of Lublin high school graduates are chosen by local universities, and about half of our students stay in the city – this is our great success. This means that there is work for them and that they perceive Lublin as a city that provides them with what they need to live, emphasized Krzysztof Żuk.
Against expectations
Lublin creates business ecosystems that are to meet the expectations of young people. The IT, modern business services, medical and biotechnological sectors are developing in the city, as well as the machine industry and food processing. Each investor is served individually, and all bureaucracy related to the investment process is carried out in such a way as to relieve investors as much as possible. – We have developed and unarmed areas in the economic zone and outside the zone. One of the dominant segments are warehouses and logistics. Thanks to the proper preparation of land and an efficient administrative process, tenants can move into such facilities within 9-10 months – said Krzysztof Żuk. – Investments in our city include such companies as: Panattoni, Goodman, MLP or 7R. The latter is preparing a large warehouse complex for 30 ha. As a city, we helped with land acquisition, land development and road construction. We help investors because we believe that they should not have risks other than those related to the market. We take the risks inherent in the city, such as construction administration, local plans or connections, off their shoulders, assured the Mayor of Lublin.
On the other hand, Polish residential developers are still cautious about this city. – As a result, local development companies developed, with whom we constantly collaborated on the directions of the city’s development in this area and we consulted changes to local plans – said the president and added that the priority areas of Lublin’s development are the districts of Czechów, Czuby and Felin.
Budget audits
Lublin has approximately PLN 250 million in the budget for investments this year, and thanks to EU funds, the city’s investment commitment amounts to over PLN half a billion. This does not mean, however, that the changes in the law on local government financing did not negatively affect the treasury of the city located on the Bystrzyca River. – We are giving up on investments that are important, but not that high-priority. We were supposed to build a building for the city hall for over PLN 80 million, but we put it off. We also postpone those road investments that do not have financing sources from EU or government funds. However, priority is given to, for example, investments in closing the transport system, i.e. zero-emission transport, construction of junctions, reconstruction of intersections, construction of stop infrastructure or park & ride facilities. In total, it is an expense of over PLN 1 billion and will be financed with debt – declared Krzysztof Żuk.
War challenges and opportunities
Due to its location, events related to the war in Ukraine had a strong impact on Lublin. About 1.3 million refugees passed through the city, and about 80,000 of them are still in the city. – A lot of people from Ukraine have lived here before. They perfectly integrated with the local community. However, living issues, such as finding a job, remain a challenge. It must be remembered that refugees are mainly mothers with children and the elderly, notes the mayor of Lublin, which is a partner city with the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Thanks, among others long-term cooperation between the two cities, currently approx. 4 thousand students study in Lublin people from Ukraine.
The last meeting of the first series
The interview with the mayor of Lublin closed the first series of meetings in the series “In 8 questions around the city” organized by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Poland. So far, the guests of the series have been: Marcin Krupa – the president of Katowice, Wojciech Szczurek – the president of Gdynia, Hanna Zdanowska – the president of Łódź, Jacek Jaśkowiak – the president of Poznań, Rafał Trzaskowski – the president of Warsaw, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz – the president of Gdańsk and Jacek Majchrowski – the president of Kraków. – The meeting with Krzysztof Żuk, the mayor of Lublin, was the eighth and last in the first series of the series, but it is certainly not the end of our proposals for you – announced Dorota Wysokińska-Kuzdra, member of the Executive Committee of ULI Poland and Senior Partner at Colliers.
