The forth project management group meeting and the final conference took place on October 7, 2020, in Kaunas.

The forth project management group meeting and the final conference of the project LLI – 303 “Clean Brownfields” took place on October 7, 2020, in Kaunas. Due to COVID – 19 situation in Latvia and Lithuania part of the lecturers and conference participants participated on-line from their local working places.

The day was started with the project management group meeting and the presentation by Sarmīte Ozoliņa, project manager on the behalf of the Lead Partner – Kurzeme Planning Region. The presentation contained overview of the project implementation –  time plan, funding, project changes, results and outcomes. Rules to be observed after the project completion were highlighted.

The day was continued by the final conference, and the participants were acquainted with the main gains, lessons from the project  implementation, Future needs and the conditions for successful cleaning and revitalization of brownfield territories were marked out.

During the first session of the conference Sarmīte Ozoliņa, project manager, told about the infrastructure activities implemented within territories of six partners – Kuldīga, Skrunda, Ruba of Saldus county, Ugāle of Ventspils county, Kaunas and Telsiai. Characteristics of the background situation to clean and revitalize brownfields was provided, necessity for planned approach, systematic actions, support by outer funding  was emphasized because this is a complicated and challenging sphere of activities.

The conference was continued by Elena Taločkaite, project manager from Kaunas Regional Development Agency who told about training and best practise experience exchange activities. Five seminars, three round-table discussions, two thematic workshops, study visits to Poland, Germany, Latvia and Lithuania were organized, the last one was carried out on-line. Some activities were organized for LV and LT partners in common, some separately, the theoretical part of the activities was always combined with the practical one – a visit to the selected examples of cleaned/ revitalized territories.

It was followed by two presentation of the project partners – Kuldīga County Municipality and Telsiai County Municipality. Elīna Voika and Mindaugas Norkus told about their experience with infrastructure activities and future plans  for the sites cleaned within the project framework. In both municipalities territories were cleaned from oil products contamination, however, different cleaning methods were chosen – the traditional one for Kuldīga, and with the application of bacteria for Telsiai.

During the second session the final conference provided the regular possibility to gain new knowledge, two lecturers were invited – Daina Pupkevičiūte, student of the doctoral programme, socioanthropology,  from Tartu University and Mindaugas Statulevičius, president of the real estate developers association of Lithuania.

The first presentation was dedicated to the space and room of the territories/ urban environments. Image, memories accumulated in the society, the importance to develop a dialogue among the inhabitants, municipality and real estate developers before transformation of a certain place is started was revealed.

The second presentation was dedicated to the experience and lessons after large conversions of degraded territories in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda. The options to develop real estate in suburban territories and wthin the cities were analized, pre-conditions for successful implementation of projects were revealed, the working process itself described, including communication with local community.

The main conclusion after the final conference and the implementation of the project is that cleaning and revitalization of the brownfield territories for future needs of the society or business is a huge work area where all the involved parties have to contribute to policy planning, assessment, setting of priorities, regular planned practical activities, using the local means and working at outer funding support.

 

More information: https://www.kurzemesregions.lv/projekts-clean-brownfields-nosledzas-ar-tiessaistes-konferenci/