international spatial, regional & urban development

Participation in a research project of the German Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung – BBSR) on urban regeneration in Eastern Europe. The aim is to complement an existing study on measures in the field of urban regeneration/ urban renewal in regions in a crisis or undergoing structural change, which is focussed on experiences from Western Europe with a new, additional one dealing with best practises in Eastern Europe („Ergänzung der europäischen Vergleichsstudie zum Stadtumbau West“).

The project partners are the German Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) in Cottbus, Faculty 2: Architecture, Civil Engineering and Urban Development, Department "Urban Management" (Lehrstuhl Stadtmanagement), and insar consult, Berlin.

Supporting regional and local development by using EU-CBC- and TNC-funds: Stefan Elsing is responsible for project management and delivery of  relevant expertise in the frame of the German - Moldovan bi-lateral cooperation project "Support to cross-border cooperation of Northern districts of Moldova with neighbouring regions in Romania and Ukraine " (GTZ GmbH, Eschborn/ Germany) - cbcsupport.org.

Stefan Elsing closely cooperated with these two Working Groups and supportsed them in the process of analysing the “Diagnostic Report on Regional Development in Georgia” as well as in the formulation of the Regional Development Strategy (GTZ Georgia, Cegstar).

Programme for regional economic development the Republic of Macedonia (GTZ-RED) - started in January 2008 to tackle the insufficient institutional capacities on national as well as regional and local level for setting up an appropriate legal and institutional framework and for supporting the development and implementation of Local Regional Economic Development strategies and projects. The activities foreseen in the programme are focussing on policy and strategy advice to the responsible national institutions and on supporting the development of appropriate regional and local institutions and their capacities for an effective and EU compliant economic development. Together with a Macedonian local short-term expert Mr Stefan Elsing has elaborated Guidelines and Recommendations for more effective coordination in the area of regional development of the Republic of Macedonia.

CEMAT – Regions of Innovation: Support in initiating cross-border cooperation in the area of spatial and regional development between Armenia and Georgia; Support in drafting a regional development strategy and a law on spatial planning as well as a concept for the territorial organisation for the Republic of Armenia (Project under the auspices of the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs – BMVBS – and the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning – BBR; GTZ Twinning Office Berlin)

Support to the Romanian General Directorate for Regional Development within the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Housing (MDLPL), together with its counterparts in both the Ukraine and in the Republic of Moldova, in implementing a tri-lateral cross-border programme within the framework of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). The German Government, represented by the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), on request of the Romanian Authorities is supporting the MDLPL in the preparation of the programme implementation, with concentration on the tri-lateral CBC project activities and the preparation and the development of a project pipeline.

Participation in the implementation of INTERREG III B Neighbourhood Programme- Projects:

• ReMiDo – Sustainable reintegration of post-soviet military residential areas as a challenge and opportunity for regional development in the Baltic Sea Region, work package 2 “Strategies and relevant approaches for sustainable development of post-soviet military areas” (University of Wismar, Germany)
• RAIL BALTICA – Trans-national Integration through Coordinated Infrastructure and Regional Development, implementation of work package 1 “Definition of a common approach for the integration of spatial planning and regional development issues in infrastructure projects” (GTZ GmbH - German Technical Co-operation, GTZ Twinning Office Berlin)

Expert in a project on supporting the Macedonian administration in preparing a draft regional development strategy and law; advisor to the Ministry of Local Self-Government (German bi-lateral assistance, GTZ International Services)

Elaboration of an Urban Master Plan for Kalkaman2, 3rd district of Almaty, Kazakhstan; integration of the planning area into the regional context (Planungsgruppe 4, Berlin, Germany)

Participation in the preparation of project applications under the CADSES and BSR INTERREG III B Neighbourhood Programmes as well as the 6th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development in teams of project partners from various countries (EU-MS and Non-MS)

Know-How Transfer on preparing applications for project funding under Phare (INTERREG) and TACIS for trans-national/ cross-border projects in the fields of regional development, environment and tourism; Design, preparation and implementation of three workshops in Kaliningrad, Lithuania and Poland (BTE, Germany; Federal Agency for Environmental Protection, Germany)

Preparation of a study on ‘Spatial Development Strategies in Developing and Transition Countries’ for the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ GmbH)