reSITE presents WIN-WIN: Who's afraid of PPP projects?

The development of cities across Central and Eastern Europe is at a crossroads. It is high time to reconsider how we will build our cities in the future. reSITE will significantly contribute to the debate with an extensive conference titled “WIN-WIN, public-private partnership in the 21st century,” which will take place on Thursday, March 17, 2016, from 12:30 to 19:00 within the parallel program of European Habitat. Eighteen experts from France, the USA, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic will gather at one table to highlight the challenges and pitfalls of public-private partnerships (PPP), present successful projects from abroad, and identify suitable locations for a pilot project. Can’t it be done here? Come and see that it can.

Can’t it be done? We guarantee it can!

Can we improve the relationships among the public, private, and civic sectors, given how strained they are in this region? How can municipal governments support civic and private efforts instead of hindering them? In what way can public-private partnerships be utilized for a balanced, sustainable, and economically viable development of urban public space, housing, and infrastructure?

In the parallel WIN-WIN conference, we will focus on the challenges associated with public-private partnerships (PPP) and seek new forms of investment tools capable of contributing to sustainable urban development. We will outline the opportunities and pitfalls of PPP in Europe as well as potential pilot projects for Prague and Central and Eastern Europe with the aim of designing more welcoming cities for future generations. And we will find that public-private partnerships involve more layers than just a financial relationship. PPP connects people and ideas.

“There is no need to wait 20 years for the public sector to implement a project that does not meet international standards or respond to the changing needs of the city. We can realize projects almost immediately while drawing from positive examples of public-private partnerships that have led to real improvements. It is possible today or tomorrow,” comments Martin Barry, director of reSITE.

“PPP projects allow municipal governments to spread risks among multiple partners, engage external advisors, and contractually set qualitative criteria and terms of assignment. These are the points where projects driven purely by the public sector usually fail: they hire inexperienced advisors, create low-quality projects, and all risks are borne by taxpayers and citizens. PPP can solve these pitfalls.”
 
Is PPP a win-win?

The first conference panel of WIN-WIN will map challenges and explore how to improve the context of procuring PPP projects. Keynote speaker will be French architect Bertrand Lemoine, director of research at CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), who served as the general director of the International Planning Workshop for the so-called Greater Paris project from 2010 to 2013. Joining the discussion will be the councilor of Prague 7 Lenka Burgerová, Abel Schumann from OECD, Jan Šulc from Skanska Property, and other guests.

What attracts and accelerates private investments in extensive brownfields, the revitalization of derelict zones, and transport infrastructures? In the second conference block on the economic benefits of PPP, Shuprotim Bhaumik, partner at HR&A Advisors from New York, will speak; this company was the strategic advisor for the park under the Brooklyn Bridge project. Currently, he is developing a strategy for building affordable housing for the city of Atlanta, advising on the spatial plan concept for the Chinese city of Chengdu, creating a revitalization plan for Louisville, Kentucky, and a development plan for Cheongju, South Korea. The experience of the Paris metropolitan area will be presented by Nicolas Buchoud, president of Cercle Grand Paris for sustainable investments. Marcel Babczynski, manager of infrastructure financing at Erste Bank, has also been invited to the debate.

On the success for all participants and successful projects will speak in the third block Mark Johnson, founder and president of CIVITAS from Denver, a landscape architect and urban designer with an extensive portfolio of parks, public spaces, and urban revitalizations across the United States, in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He is behind the redevelopment project of Denver International Airport, the North Embarcadero Terminal in San Diego, and the Museum Park in Miami, always with consideration for integrating social and economic aspects while taking the environment into account.
The discussion will involve Jaromír Hainc from the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague or Charlot Schans, who leads the New Europe - Cities in Transition project at the Amsterdam venue Pakhuis de Zwijger. Dutch envoy for urbanism Nicolaas Beets and Martin Barry, director of reSITE, who has designed and managed park, waterfront, and square improvements in the USA, Canada, China, Europe, or Saudi Arabia, will also be part of the discussion.

Entry to the conference is free based on prior online registration, which is essential for entry to the venue. Please arrive early due to security checks.

The parallel conference is held in cooperation with the Ministry of Regional Development, the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague, and UN Habitat.