05 April 2019 - Podgorica is working on creating a new image of the city, and the local government representatives are primarily dedicated to enhancing the green fund, with the ambition for the Capital of Montenegro to be among the greenest cities in Europe. These conclusions were brought forth by the Deputy Mayor of Podgorica, Slađana Vujačić, at the Summit of Capital City Mayors of South East Europe, held April 5 and 6 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to Deputy Mayor Vujačić, it is of great importance for the city to emphasize its “green face”, and the local government is trying to find creative ways for the citizens to be fully involved in these processes. “We are working on the revival of forgotten urban spaces, developing alternative forms of traffic, creating new manifestations that bring together our fellow citizens and increase the interest of tourists, "she said.
As they said, they are also working on the realization of capital projects. "The most important among the capital projects are related to wastewater treatment, the supply of the boulevard approaches to the city from all sides, the project of converting biogas from the landfill into the electricity and the construction of a solar power plant. One of the projects I also have to highlight is the primary waste selection project. In the field of sports, we’re planning on building a tennis academy, reconstruction of the Small Sports Stadium, as well as building a national football stadium, "Vujačić added.
Deputy Mayor also stressed that the local government wants to address one of the biggest challenges in Podgorica - the problem of public transport, as well as the revival of the city centre.
"We will build an expo centre, shopping malls, an aquarium park, as well as more hotels in different parts of the city. Also, we have established business zones where investors are afforded benefits - Industrial Zone A, Agro-Industrial Zone, and Service-Storage Zone,” Vujačić explained.
The conclusions of the Summit also included the fact that Podgorica is a city attractive to investors, as it offers different models of cooperation, such as private-public partnership, foreign direct investment, and investments through the new ESCO method. The city also struggles with the unemployment problem, and so the local government launched projects such as the Business Incubator, the Centre for Competence and others aimed at motivating people to start their own business.
Deputy Mayor is convinced that with projects that Podgorica plans to realize in the forthcoming period, the city will be even faster to develop for the benefit of all citizens and their better future.
Summit of Mayors of South East Europe Capital Cities was launched to bring the major cities of the region closer together, working together to promote tourism potential, protect cultural heritage, develop the concept of smart cities and urban development, as well as the use of EU funds. Organizers of this event took into consideration that the major cities are becoming more and more important in global politics, have great potential for development, are easier to connect, are leaders in the field of energy, have similar challenges and goals, and in general, they are the generators of positive processes in the region.
