Polish Metropolis GZM and Ruhr Metropolis from Germany are willing to cooperate in such areas as the development of public transportation, innovative economies, environment and green areas, as well as scientific, cultural and sports exchange. Leaders of both metropolises made an assignment of partnership on August 9 in Katowice.
„It’s very important for us to gain knowledge from our foreign partners,” said Kazimierz Karolczak, Chair of the Management Board of Metropolis GZM.
As he noticed, both metropolises have similar histories and challenges. „We are very large metropolitan areas. In the past, we were mostly based on the mining industry. Now we are looking for new opportunities for economic and social growth. Ruhr Metropolis, as a 100-year-old institution, has great experience in these areas”.
The partnership will be focused on transformation processes, as both metropolises are focusing on the challenge of becoming places where the economy is based on knowledge and not just heavy industry. That’s why scientific exchange and care for the environment are so important for those regions.
„International exchange with Metropolis GZM creates new opportunities for us”, said Karola Geiß-Netthöfel, Regional Director of Ruhr Metropolis.
„Thanks to knowledge transfer, experience, and good practices, we can learn from each other and spread our competences”, said Geiß-Netthöfel, adding that ecology and the environment, education and science, as well as digitalization, are the areas where she sees the biggest opportunities for cooperation.
Metropolis GZM is a young organization, created in 2017 in Upper Silesia. It has 41 cities and communes, 2.3 million residents, 24 public and private universities, and 240,000 enterprises. Katowice is the largest city and capital of GZM.
Ruhr Metropolis is a much older organization, created from 53 towns and cities where 5.1 million people live. Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg are the largest cities in metropolis. It occupies an area of 4,440 square kilometers, and it’s referenced as the „city of cities”.
(MN)
