After launching the PoliRuralPlus project activities, the Vidzeme Planning Region (VPR) in Latvia has taken a step forward by initiating negotiations with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia, which is recognized as a key stakeholder.
The ministry aims to develop ICT solutions for improving spatial development planning, monitoring, and modern investment management, and the focus will first be on the investment part of the tool. VPR is now in a position where pilot activities such as work on classifying performance indicators to monitor the development of local governments and proposing a structured methodological framework for preparing municipal development documents can be the synergy point between PoliRuralPlus and the ICT solution development by the ministry responsible for regional issues.
VPR is a public institution focused on regional development and coordination. Its main functions include ensuring regional strategic and spatial planning, coordinating efforts between municipalities and government institutions, and providing planning services at national, regional, and local levels. The organization also represents regional and local interests in national policy development. Its mission is to coordinate and promote the long-term, balanced development of the Vidzeme region.
Currently, there are no systematic mechanisms to monitor the progress of the VPR Development Programme at a territorial level; it is only monitored at the organizational level. It is crucial that each goal and planned activity of the VPR Development Programme directly addresses the needs of residents and actively involves them where possible. Vidzeme region includes 11 municipalities, and the elaboration of the development programmes and the monitoring itself are done without a coherent approach. Therefore, a transparent and reliable system for collecting, aggregating, and communicating regional development progress is necessary.
The establishment of a unified monitoring framework in the Vidzeme region as a territory is essential to ensure a successful development management process and feedback to each of the parties involved in the implementation of the VPR Development Programme, thus also promoting the interest and involvement of each resident of the region in the development of their living space community and the Vidzeme region as a whole. It would also allow the mechanism for planning and monitoring a common approach to development to be transferred to the other areas in Latvia and abroad, where such systems are not yet placed.
