The following text is aimed at identifying urgent problems and offering the most efficient solutions for Szczecin’s immediate future strategy and planning.

Szczecin Beautification Project

Billboards need to be taken down and shop signs need to be standardized.
Szczecin has a great potential to be a beautiful city.  It has a lot of greenery which unfortunately is being polluted by the overuse and misuse of advertising, including billboards and ugly clashing colored shop signs.  The city feels like you are living in one giant advertisement.  This is not normal even by western standards.  First impressions of the city are important for visitors, tourists and potential investors.  Residents need to feel proud and comfortable in the place they live and living in a world bombarded by advertisements doesn’t help how they feel.
I counted 34 billboards on a short 2 minutes drive on 26 Kwietnia st. between the centrum and Derdowskiego st. and this is in only one part of the city.  This is complete overkill let alone a driving hazard if someone were to read that many signs while driving.  10-20% if the current billboards should be in use. Prices should be higher for their use (if the city needs the money that badly) as big companies can afford to pay a premium for polluting the beautiful nature of the city.  Companies should rely on their own web pages for advertising and promotion.  Instead of every shop offering the same products, they should also focus on offering unique products instead of polluting the city with advertising.  Consumers will continue to consume regardless if the billboards are there.
Streets need to be resurfaced using high quality materials and kept clean
Again these are the daily impressions residents get, let alone what tourist, visitors and the potential investor experience.  There is no reason why the city’s roads should have new potholes every year when in western countries this is much less of a problem.  Roads and streets need to be smooth and clean.  Drainage system need to be incorporated into the sewer system so that the old dirt can be drained off instead of being left to dry on the road.  Carbon dirt left on the roads is a health hazard as well.  Street cleaning vehicles need to be increased and used more often.  Large trucks should go around the city instead through the city as their weight is a continued stress on the longevity of the roads.  A special ring highway could be constructed for their use.
Building revitalization and design
Programs should be initiated by the city government to repaint the exteriors of buildings.  These programs would include tax cuts for co-operative efforts between tenants and owners as an incentive to paint and revitalize the exteriors of the older and more dirty buildings in the centrum.  An alternative source of funding for this would be to allow companies and businesses who subsidize these efforts to be allowed to put a one meter by two meter permanent (until the next painting is needed) single color simple stenciled sign saying “This buildings renovation was sponsored by: Name of Company”.  In this way businesses would have a chance to join the community in making the city a more beautiful place and receive an appreciative acknowledgement / advertisement in return.
New buildings being built in the centrum including shopping centers should be under narrow guidelines to closely match or at least compliment the architectural design of the neighborhood and its neighboring buildings.  Variety is nice, but in the case of architecture it can quickly become an eyesore.
Public Transportation
This can be improved in many ways.  Newer trams and buses and multilingual maps / info of the system for visitors are a few of the ways.  It’s important that public transportation is comfortable and modern, especially with the increasing automobile traffic in the city.

Riverside Project

A project to create a city center with riverside culture and facilities

One of Szczecin’s greatest assets is the Odra River.  Many people talk about creating a “City Center” with a square.  As the city center has been mostly developed already, this is near to impossible.  We can however create a “Glass Castle” (figuratively speaking) diagonal from the old castle on the other side of the river and across from the train station.  This would be completely modern in design and needs to be something very special; even if foreign and more subjective architects are needed to achieve the goal (making a shopping center like every other one in the city would be a failure).  It could be created using a lot of glass materials to achieve a modern look and feel.  Facilities would include: a convention center, a modern arts museum, office spaces, apartments, riverside restaurants, cafes, clubs, theaters, and a few small shops (there are enough shopping centers already, so this shouldn’t be the focus).  This project would also create jobs for years to come.  This project needs to be thought of as an icon / symbol of the city, and created in a special way.  The views of the older parts of the city would also be spectacular from here.
An Example:

Pedestrian bridges would also be built similar to the Millennium Bridge in London.

Stimulating the Economy and Job Market

Green Energy
The next step is to attract and create innovative businesses for the city which would also create more jobs.  Green energy is the next technological wave and so attracting these types of companies should be the main focus for the city.  Promoting entrepreneurship and foreign investment through grants, funding and tax incentives is the way to go.  Actually going out and inviting foreign investors once these incentives are in place is something that should also be done.  There are many more green technologies besides just wind farming, so this doesn’t need to be the only focus.  For a list of them check here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy
Preventative Medicine
This is an area that is very much lacking.  From what I hear from the people I have met here, their fathers are dying much too young.  Middle fifties is too young of an age for someone’s father to pass away.  In the west men are living twenty years longer and also continue to work longer.  You have to ask yourself why is this happening?  If you ask a doctor here to have a thorough check-up for cancer or for a cardiology examination, they seem to think there is no reason for it unless you are sick already.  Preventative medicine has been used in the west for years and it goes far beyond a healthy diet or simply not smoking.  Preventative medicine is more cost effective than trying to heal someone after they have already become sick or in the worst case simply let them die.  Because of declining European populations, we can’t afford to lose more people through something that is so easily fixable.  Szczecin could become a regional capital for preventative medicine by creating a Preventative Medicine Institute.  This will also create more jobs for the local economy and something new and unique for Poland.

Improving Social Psychology and Mentorship

Identifying psychological factors that hinder progress
In my years of living and working here, teamwork is a serious factor that is lacking and holding back the economy and development of business and the city.  It is difficult to get people to work together or to take the initiative toward a common goal instead of competing with or avoiding each other.  Hyper-sensitivity and over-politeness seem to also be hindering factors toward progress.  Did I say something in the right way?  I may have been clear, but was I polite? Of course it is important to be polite, but too much time is spent on this (or even avoidance of the situation / other person) when this energy could be better used toward achieving common goals and making progress.  I realize that some of this has to do with the national character and the history of the country, but this is something that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible.  Critique is another issue that needs to be addressed.  Being able to give and receive critique and to see it as a positive path toward achieving goals is very important.  
Mentorship
The best solutions for this lie in families and the community.  Many parents are often too busy or may not fully understand the importance of clear and progressive communication in a modern capitalistic society.  One idea would be to start a few different types of community mentorship programs, for example, “Big Brothers and Big Sisters” in the USA, or “Future Leaders” programs around the world.  All would be under the supervision of professionals from a few different fields (developmental and organizational psychology, education, sociology).  This could be linked to community centers where children can meet after school.  Team building, teamwork, positive thinking, family values, communication in relationships, communication styles could all be addressed at these centers through interactive mentor programs which would be combined with sports and fun activities for children through young adulthood.  
Community programs could also be a part of where people live.  For example the courtyards of the apartment building in the city centers could be beautified through renovation, the planting of plants, installation of community grills, etc.  Essentially a place for neighbors to gather during the warmer months of the year and get to know each other.
Christian Diamond
Consulting Contact
www.diamondpolonia.com

Wśród szczecinian pokutuje opinia, że Odra jest tylko troszkę za rzadka, by ją orać, a na pewno za gęsta, by po niej pływać. I „The Tall Ships’ Races” raczej tu nie pomoże. Dopóki nie wsiądziemy do łódek i nie zmierzymy się z szalejącą kipielą Odry, czy Parnicy, cudze jachty będą dla nas pocztówką.

IDEAS FOR SZCZECIN

Key findings from the 3rd meeting (March, 2, 2010)

1. It is better to focus first on the development, expansion and health of the local economy in order to generate income for local government, to improve business stability, and to generate a feeling of a future in the region.

From overseas experience, businesses which start in a difficult financial climate usually fail in 2-3 yrs. While it is easy to state the problem lies with the business owner, it is possible for local government to monitor and advise on good business practices. Classes can be started for 1st, 2nd and 3rd year business people to come and learn the skills they need to grow. The business to population ratio is high in Szczecin, so the willingness is there. Local government can help by supporting education of the business people. A city which supports local business is much more attractive to investors and residents. The existing paper trail to register/start a business is unnecessary. The motivation behind starting a business should be local promotion rather than control. Too many decisions are left to the hands of a few individuals who have no peer review.

There are many organizations with capital for business development, and local government can promote these without needing to offer tax breaks or other income losing incentives to attract business to the area. An example could be discounted public transport to workplaces.

2. A second focus should be placed on attracting service based industries into Szczecin. Service based industries typically employ 4 to 5 times more people than production based industries. They are more in tune with current educational offerings in Szczecin than heavy industry. Green industry is growing rapidly, solar heating, waste recycling, wind powered generators, and the like. There are ample places to site these in the region.

3. A third focus should be improving integration with schools, universities, polytechnics etc and business needs in the region. If educational institutes produce graduates who are not needed in the local economy, it shows a complete lack of integration between the needs of the region and the education goals. Local government should be placing more emphasis on educating to meet the needs of the local area. Another 500 teachers is pointless for 20 vacancies. If businesses are looking for specific skills, they should be met by local education services. The needs must be matched by the education sector. If they don't talk now to each other at themoment to synchronize their plans, it is up to local government to make sure it helps make it happen. Local government can do a lot to invest in the future of the region by investing in the resources it already has.

4. A fourth focus should be on the teaching of "service" at all levels of society. From a foreign perspective, the word "service" means satisfying the customer. It appears that the Polish perspective means "more hard work for no reward". A complete programme to teach the "western service perspective" of "service" needs to be implemented at EVERY level of society and business. The gains are: co-operative business relationships, trust between people, a tidier city, more respect to clerks and administrators, honesty, recognition of contribution, fair prices for fair work, a shift away from laziness. A typical result would be a complete lack of dog faeces on the streets, much less litter, less graffiti, less vandalism.

5. A final prime focus should be on the maintenance and development of infrastructure in the region. Road maintenance, transport planning, cleaning the Odra River and zalew, matching the needs of the people to the services provided, quality work. For anyone with a car with small wheels or who rides a bicycle will know, the road maintenance plan hasn't worked. The length of time it takes to complete projects is ridiculous by foreign standards. If work starts, it should finished quickly. Instead of 5 open projects, finish just 1, then start the second etc. If there are reasons why work can't continue, the priority is fixing the problem.

Presented at the meeting by Peter Robb

1. Under the objective "Szczecin- a city of a high quality of life" we thought it is most important to concentrate on the revitalization of the inner-city. When “lack of life” is the problem, the solution is to activate the place where city life has its place: the city centre. This matches probably good with the proposed strategic activity "activities related to the development of a socio-cultural centre of Szczecin, based on the existing city centre development and opportunities for the development of the Międzyodrze areas".
The revitalization of the inner-city includes riverside development at the other side of the river. A suggestion was to locate an expo centre (convention centre, fairs) at the other side of river, best vis-a-vis the railway station. Like in Poznan the fairs would be next to the station, instead of at the right bank where presently MTS (fairs) is located.
In the inner-city revitalization an important sub-activity is to improve courtyards within the city blocks. Car parking should be prohibited inside the city blocks. Instead green children playgrounds should be made. In this way living the inner-city could be made attractive again.

2. Another important activity under "Szczecin - a city of high quality of life" would be decent CITY
MANAGEMENT, which is about street cleaning, limiting billboards and advertisements, eliminating put holes, painting facades, etc. A more ambitious heading for this issue could be BEAUTIFICATION.

3. Further it was mentioned that it would be a strategic activity to see if we can offer within city boundaries affordable plots for one-family housing. This to prevent further urban sprawl. The many one-family houses in the municipalities around Szczecin are bit by bit destroying the natural landscape.

4. Under "social capital" it was suggested, inspired by a program from the USA, to offer after-school training for children in team-working. This could be done in schools or community centers. When lack of cooperation is a problem, it would be a good idea to train at least the next generation in how to cooperate.

5. Under "business" some suggestions were made for new activities, one under the heading "preventive medical centre" (as too many people die relatively young), another under the heading "green industry".

Presented at the meeting by Hans van de Sanden