pri_uk

REVITALIZATION PLAN FOR METROPOLITAN BILBAO

	BACKGROUND AND DEFINITION (General Statistics for Metropolitan Bilbao and its Influence Area are also available.)
	INVESTMENT IN HUMAN RESOURCES (Statistics for this Area and Bilbao Metropoli-30 Activities are also available.)
	SERVICE METROPOLIS IN A MODERN INDUSTRIAL REGION (Statistics for this Area and Bilbao Metropoli-30 Activities are also available.)
	MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY (Statistics for this Area and Bilbao Metropoli-30 Activities are also available.)
	ENVIRONMENTAL REGENERATION (Statistics for this Area and Bilbao Metropoli-30 Activities are also available.)
	URBAN REGENERATION (Statistics for this Area and Bilbao Metropoli-30 Activities are also available.)
	CULTURAL CENTRALITY (Statistics for this Area and Bilbao Metropoli-30 Activities are also available.)
	COORDINATED MANAGEMENT BY THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PRIVATE SECTOR Statistics for this Area and Bilbao Metropoli-30 Activities are also available.)
	SOCIAL ACTION (Statistics for this Area and Bilbao Metropoli-30 Activities are also available.)

BACKGROUND AND DEFINITION

Metropolitan Bilbao is defined as an urban crowding without precise geographic limits, placed in the Atlantic coast in the North of Spain. Its population, nearly a million inhabitants, is spread out in thirty municipalities of very unequal population size and weight. Six of these municipalities exceed 50.000 inhabitants: Bilbao, Barakaldo, Getxo, Portugalete, Santurtzi and Basauri.

In terms of population, Metropolitan Bilbao is the fifth most populated metropolitan area in Spain, behind Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla. At a European scale, it occupies the 36th place among European metropolis, with a population similar in size to that of Dublin, Liverpool and Florence.

As to the economic potential of Metropolitan Bilbao, its GNP amounts to 1,400 billion pesetas, which represents half of the Basque Country's GNP. This potential is mainly strengthened by great motive businesses, which have traditionally been the essential protagonists in the economic development of the metropolis.

The sectorial distribution of the GNP displays the tertiary nature of Metropolitan Bilbao's economy (52%), although manufacturing still maintains an important weight (32%).

The international competitiveness of a metropolitan area is directly bound to the improvement of the quality of life of its inhabitants, which creates added problems in the case of a traditional industrial metropolis, such as Metropolitan Bilbao, which shows important levels of urban and environmental degradation.

On the other hand, the market in which Metropolitan Bilbao businesses compete has ceased being a local one and has turned into a global market - so that the improvement of its businesses' competitiveness requires the incorporation of advanced services in marketing and commercializing which facilitates the opening of new markets for their products.

The latest challenge Metropolitan Bilbao faces in order to improve its international competitiveness is the availability of a communications infrastructure, as much "physical" (terrestrial, aerial, maritime) as "intelligent" (telecommunications), which allows it to compete with the metropolis in its environment in equal conditions. The fast pace of technological progress in the telecommunications area requires the linking of Metropolitan Bilbao with the main axis of economic development, which in turn depends, for example, as much on the existence of optical fiber networks as on fitting road networks.

Facing up to all these challenges with success requests establishing an important planning effort that sets out which are the priorities and goals to be reached and the norms of performance for their attainment.

At this point, where strategic planning requires inestimable support, it is possible to combine the participation of the economic and social agents in the metropolitan area in order to carry out a diagnostic of its strong and weak points, establish a vision of success and specify the strategies to make it a reality.

The application of strategic planning to Metropolitan Bilbao was set out in the Strategic Plan for the Revitalization of the Metropolitan Bilbao, initiated in 1989 at the request of the Basque Government and the Bizkaia County Council.

Since its start, the Plan outlined the challenge of shaping the Metropolitan Bilbao of the XXI century with the following characters: open, plural, integrated, modern, creative, social and cultural.

The Revitalization Plan identified eight critical issues, in order to concentrate efforts to revitalize the metropolis of Bilbao. Their vision of success follows below.

INVESTMENT IN HUMAN RESOURCES

The future state of the Metropolitan Area of Bilbao in relation to the Human Resources, which the Revitalization Plan aspires to fulfill, is typified by the following elements:

A modern, flexible and innovative educational system.

A university, bound to the metropolitan economic structure and that supposes a factor of centrality, because of its educational and research activities at international level.

A prestigious professional formation, that guarantees access to the work market, in collaboration with the business sector.

Businesses with a strategic conception of human resources, reflected in their investment and training plans.

Public administrations with capacity of leadership and with the appropriate coordination to fasten some of the politics of education, training and employment, accordingly to the economic and social sectors.

The future vision of Human Resources in Metropolitan Bilbao can be expressed in the following way:

Businesses with a strategic vision of human resources, taking advantage of the concentration of sectors in order to generate competitive advantages in their formation.

Technological status, supported by high quality formation at all levels, exerting leadership in an extensive zone of influence.

Innovative, flexible and adequate at any moment to the necessities of the job market educative system.

Taking advantage of the higher politics capacity of the Autonomous, County and Municipality Administration to design an employment policy of an authentic impact.

University closely bound to the economic and industrial structure of the Basque Country, showing leadership in the areas of technology and culture of management, and which supposes a factor of centrality.

Private initiative based on a society with motivated human resources, taking advantage of the experiences of a traditional, industrial and mercantile culture.

SERVICE METROPOLIS IN A MODERN INDUSTRIAL REGION

Metropolitan Bilbao, leaning on its industrial vocation to overcome the recession, will have to move towards a metaindustrial model during the next years, in which fruitfully coexist the industrial, financial and service measures of diverse nature (technological, environmental, social, infra structural, of qualification of human resources, and so on), which creates the adequate conditions for new industrial businesses and services to be located in the metropolis.

Another objective is to develop a mixed economy, of industrial and advanced services nature, that will allow Metropolitan Bilbao to compete successfully in the European system of cities.

In order to attain the model before mentioned, it is necessary to define several strategies which can be grouped in the following way:

Creation of a favorable environment for the development of advanced services. The availability of the factors of production, the existence of an adequate network of infrastructures, the possibility of access to the reception and diffusion of information, as well as other aspects linked with technological conditions, are factors of the metropolitan area that condition the location of advanced services. Nevertheless, there are others no less important, such as the existence of an agreeable environment, an adequate formative offer, availability of qualified and diversified manpower, cultural and leisure offer, and so on.

Development of a market of advanced services. The hopes of an economic recovery of an urban industrial area affected by the freaks of recession must be based on the development of an economy of advanced services, mostly concentrating the efforts in those areas with a potential of becoming internationally competitive. The development of these activities, true engines of metaindustrial economies, proves to be essential for the metropolitan economies to reach the necessary level of competitiveness, especially at the time of confronting the European challenge. The productive services respond, due to their characteristics and to their effect on the rest of the productive system, to the requirements of a higher productivity and competitiveness imposed by international economic development.

Therefore, productive services have an important role to play in the recovery of determinate areas, making easy the recovery of their productive system and simultaneously allowing the subsequent development of more advanced services.

Industrial diversification. In addition to improving the competitiveness of the traditional sectors, via the development of an advanced services market, it is necessary to start an industrial policy of diversification towards the sectors of the future.

Metropolitan Bilbao disposes important assets which will contribute to the development of a metropolis of services for a modern industrial region. The recovery of the financial protagonism in the Stock Exchange, the exploitation of the Port for the development of advanced services in relation to distribution and maritime activities, the availability of an international Exhibition Center and the recent implantation of the European Software Institute, constitute key actives in the competitive status of the metropolis. In the same way, the availability of an attractive natural environment and a high quality of life, combined with a favorable climate for the development of research and knowledge, with universities capable of adapting to the requirements of the service market , are viewed as advantages that will contribute to place Metropolitan Bilbao inside the frame of European cities with the guarantee of future.

MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY

The Revitalization Plan aims at the attainment of a communications system for the Metropolitan Area which displays the following characteristics:

A system of internal mobility that fastens the adequate connection among the different sub regions that compose it. In the same way, it should rely on a system of competitive, efficient and modern public transport, which provides fast and conformable displacements which can be an ecological alternative of transport.

A connection with the highways and railroad axis of communication leading to the rest of Europe, becoming an important node of communications that allows it to occupy a central status in the Atlantic Arc.

A Port with suitable installations in the Exterior Abra, which allows the liberation of areas that nowadays occupy the urban center, well connected with the other systems of transport and with an offer of services of added value which allow the port to be protagonist in the transformation and economic development of the Metropolitan Area and in its role of centrality.

An Airport in Sondika as a vertebral axis of the aerial connections in the Atlantic slope, and with an extensive offer of regional, national and international services.

One can deduce from this description of the future state of the communications system of the Metropolitan Area that its competitive advantage compared with other European metropolis will be based on exploiting its fine geographic situation to become the center that articulates the North-South and East-West axis. This center will have railroad connections with Europe, the availability of a Port of great magnitude, multiple international connections and an Airport with a complete aerial offer.

ENVIRONMENTAL REGENERATION

The future vision of Metropolitan Bilbao's environment , which the Revitalization Plan aims to fulfill, is defined according to the following elements:

Control and management of the air and water quality and efficient management of waste policies (urban and industrial), according to the standards established by the European Union legislation.

Active collaboration in the search of the necessary mechanisms for industries to use environmental friendly technologies, that will give them a competitive edge in the European market and will allow them to profit from business opportunities in this sector.

Regeneration of the environmentally degraded zones.

Therefore, it is fundamental that the Administration exerts an authentic leadership in the diffusion, implementation and control of the community legislation, using for this all the instruments it relies on.

The success of the regeneration of Metropolitan Bilbao's environment is a crucial factor for the improvement of the quality of life of its inhabitants and its external image. The recovery of the metropolis will allow a closer relationship with its natural environment, contributing to its recognition as a pleasant place to live and work in. The environmental industry must acquire a nature of leadership and centrality, according to the ideal conditions set by the Metropolitan Area for its development. All these factors must constitute competitive advantages which allow Metropolitan Bilbao to attain a position of centrality in the European system of cities.

URBAN REGENERATION

The future state of the Metropolitan Area of Bilbao in relation to urban structure, which the Revitalization Plan aims to fulfill, is typified by the following elements:

Availability of housing blocks which satisfy both quantitative and qualitative necessities of the metropolis' population.

A system of infrastructures and collective equipment that provides an excellent urban habitat and a high quality of life.

Various emblematic buildings which contribute to foment social and cultural centrality of the metropolis and to improving its external image and appeal.

A zone of planning and management that involves the different public administrations and private initiatives in the process of urban regeneration and that allows the fast implantation of the plans that will be developed at different levels.

The recovery of the damaged urban infrastructure through the exploitation of the obsolete or abandoned industrial spaces and the rehabilitation of the old town.

An estuary that constitutes the vertebral axis and integrated element of the metropolis and is a distinctive factor of Metropolitan Bilbao's attractiveness.

The success of urban regeneration in the Metropolitan Area of Bilbao constitutes a crucial factor of internal awareness and of a new external image. The recovery of the estuary as a vertebral and integrated axis of the metropolis and its sanitation will decisively contribute to the increase of quality of life and to the improvement of the attractiveness of the large city. The maximum exploitation of the geographically close mountains, beaches etc. can also contribute to the improvement of the competitive status of Metropolitan Bilbao. Finally, the availability of housing blocks, high in quantity and quality, that are based on a complete system of infrastructures and equipment, can constitute a key factor in the location of businesses and highly qualified human resources.

CULTURAL CENTRALITY

The Revitalization Plan aspires to the attainment of a cultural dimension of the metropolis of Bilbao which offers, among others, the following characteristics:

Mechanisms of cultural and recreational information, that besides providing an easier and better popularization of the offer, also act as a channel for a greater cultural formation.

Constitute an obliged point of reference in cultural circuits and industries which are developing at an international scale.

Have an educative system with a greater presence of culture in the study plans and complementary activities, open to the interchange of international experiences.

A private initiative that, in the frame of policies of fiscal incentives, accepts the agreement of an active participation in the cultural dissemination and a coordination of the different public initiatives that allow to convert Metropolitan Bilbao in a focal point of cultural creativity.

Infrastructures that allow the access of all collectivities to culture, transforming the emblem of the city.

According to this description of Metropolitan Bilbao's future state of the cultural dimension, its competitive advantage in the face of other cities in its sphere will be set by its new position as cultural center of international dimension. This will be reflected in its protagonism as a high quality "Center of Art and Congresses", that will be based on the solid tradition of a city of services and of a prestigious university, in various infrastructures -Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao, Euskalduna Concert and Conference Hall, Cultural Center- able to welcome cultural events of great magnitude, in a metropolis in which important international contests and festivals take place, supported by a long cinematographic and lyrical tradition. In the same way, the availability of a powerful cultural industry, a high level of cultural assets, and an external image associated with art and culture will constitute advantages that will shape the potential for cultural centrality of the future Metropolitan Bilbao.

COORDINATED MANAGEMENT BY THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PRIVATE SECTOR

The future state of Metropolitan Bilbao in relation to the Coordinated Management of the Public Administrations and Private Sector, which the Revitalization Plan aims to fulfill, is characterized by the following elements:

Development of Territorial Planning for the Metropolitan Area and reinforcement of the municipal urban management capacity.

Sectorial organizations for the provision of specific public urban services (water, transport, residue, and so on) and exploitation of economies of scale and of associative tendencies.

More quality, effectiveness and efficiency in management of public services in view of a process of administrative modernization.

Development of mixed formulas of public-private cooperation for plans of common interest.

To advance in the coordinated management of collective interests of the public and private sectors, Metropolitan Bilbao must take advantage of determinate positive factors of its political and administrative environment. Because of its importance, one can highlight the availability of a complete institutional frame, in which the Historic Territory is converted into a fundamental piece of the territorial organization, with an extensive frame of competence and a powerful administrative capacity. The existence of joint responsibilities and consortiums for the sectorial management of public services can be useful as a base on which to extend their advantages of specialty and flexibility. Another aspect to be considered is the existence of a private sector typified by a entrepreneurial spirit and aware of the interests of the community.

SOCIAL ACTION

The Revitalization Plan at the articulation of a vertebrate society, which is not exclusivist and which gets involved in the attainment of a common wealth for all the citizens of Metropolitan Bilbao. This future vision of the Metropolis will have to present the following characteristics:

Conception of the Social Action and of the personal well-being as the fundamental priority of urban development.

Gradual removal of the structural causes of exclusion, that hurl down the process of marginality, at an individual and family level.

Pluralist management of the Social Action, under a frame of new relations between the State and the Civil Society.

Efficient management of resources destined to the Social Action, that guarantees the better application of the aforementioned resources.

The coordination of the Social Action constitutes, in short, a challenge and its resolution highly depends on the long term future of the Metropolis . Therefore it is necessary to articulate formulas of Social Action that result efficient in the long run, influencing the structural elements that have caused exclusion, as well as the planning and coordinating of precise actions.

Upon the application of the aforementioned formulas, it will have to pursue the efficient optimization of the applied resources of the Social Action, as much from the public initiative as from the independent sector, at the same time that the intervention of Society in the Social Action is being promoted.

Finally, in response to the succession of manifestations of exclusion, concrete solutions will have to be put into practice for the situations of necessity that nowadays exist in Metropolitan Bilbao, which affect to a great number of citizens.

Metropolitan Bilbao relies on important assets in relation to Social Action, that allow it to attain the aforementioned goals with certain guarantees of success. Among them one can highlight the existence of a tradition in Social Services and a recognized undertaking nature of its actions, which place it at the head of the State in this area. In second place, the availability of a favorable institutional frame must be underlined, in which the Historic Territory has extensive competitiveness and a powerful administrative capacity. Finally, Metropolitan Bilbao relies on the implication of its citizens and on its public and private organizations of its milieu, which translate into an important volume of resources destined to social aims. All this will contribute to the achievement of a more human and equitative society, that allows an integral development of all its members without any type of exclusion.

Documents of the Strategic Plan for the Revitalization of the Metropolitan Bilbao (in Spanish)

METROPOLITAN BILBAO