The Cities of Tomorrow Conference, an annual reference event of the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK), dedicated to urban and regional development, will take place on Thursday and Friday, for the first time in Oradea, after ten editions organised in Bucharest.

"This event is important because we want to develop the cities of the future in Romania by taking care of the citizens, raising living standards, reducing migration and offering, in short, a good life and jobs in Romania. Feedback from previous editions has been very good. We are for the first time in Oradea, after Bucharest, because we have noticed a huge development here, Oradea being a model in Romania in the area of city development and we wanted all those who came this time in Oradea to exchange experience, knowledge, information to contribute to the sustainability of the cities from which they came," AHK General Manager Sebastian Metz told to AGERPRES.

In the official opening, after Sebastian Metz, Oradea Mayor Florin Birta, Bihor County Council President Ilie Bolojan, Deputy Head of the Economic Section of the German Embassy in Bucharest Cristina Raiciu also took the floor.

Mayor Florin Birta thanked those attending the event and voiced confidence that following the conference even better things would be implemented, mentioning that at the Oradea city hall they have the strategy of taking working good practice models and applying them locally.

Bihor County Council President mentioned that over time, the events organised each year by the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce have been an inspiration for the administration of Bihor, with expert guests, with the support of the ecosystem created around AHK, local leaders have visited cities in Germany, have learned examples of good practice, such as the extension of the heating system or the rehabilitation of buildings in the historic centre.

Cristina Raiciu said that the embassy has been with these conferences since the beginning, having "witnessed the spectacular evolution of this conference" which has grown from year to year, bringing new elements such as the thematic round tables and project competitions.

"And here we are now in a new moment: going outside the capital to give other cities in Romania the opportunity to present their best practices and their potential. I congratulate AHK Romania for the contribution they have made over the years to the sustainable development of Romanian cities, thus also contributing to strengthening the bilateral relations between Romania and Germany. Where else could this first edition have taken place outside Bucharest if not in Oradea? Oradea and the County of Bihor are mentioned more and more often as examples of good practice in regional and urban development. I think we have all heard about the historic centre in which most of the buildings have been renovated, about the investments in infrastructure, the new hospital, the centralised heating system, the geothermal station that I can't wait to visit tomorrow and many, many others," said Cristina Raiciu.

A number of 150 guests from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, NGO representatives, business people, representatives of public administrations and universities participate in the Cities of Tomorrow hosted by the Oradea Citadell.

The two-day programme includes round tables, presentations, exchange of experiences, field visits, and takes place under the theme "Beyond infrastructure for sustainable urban living," bringing to the spotlight the concept of post-infrastructure city, with the stress on addressing issues that go beyond mere physical construction and development, focusing on solutions and innovations that contribute to a sustainable urban lifestyle and bring added value.

In addition to the change of location, this year's edition brings another novelty - a day dedicated to visits to projects and companies from Oradea and its surroundings.

On Friday, participants will be paying visits to landmarks in four areas: tourism; energy and sustainability; economic development; urban regeneration. The landmarks scheduled for visits are, among others, the architectural centre, Oradea City Hall, Unirii Square, the Art Nouveau Museum, the Freemasonry Museum, the geothermal station in Nufarul neighbourhood, Eurobusiness Park (Plexus and Faist companies), the intermodal terminal, the dual campus, the cargo terminal at the airport, Nokian tire factory, and other regenerated areas of the city. AGERPRES (RO - author: Eugenia Pasca, editor: Irina Poenaru; EN - editor: Adina Panaitescu)

Photos: (c) Eugenia PASCA / AGERPRES