1 Interreg III B Project PUSEMOR Work package 5 « Regional Studies » Regional intermediate report Gorenjska January 2006 PUSEMOR/ Regional Report - Gorenjska / BSC Kranj 1 January 2006 Table of content 1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................. 3 1.1 PUSEMOR: A general overview................................................................................................. 3 1.1.1 Project background................................................................................................................ 3 1.2 Workpackage 5 Regional studies: Goals, objectives and activities...................................... 3 1.2.1 Output 1: Description of methodology and activities ............................................................. 4 1.2.2 Output 2: Description of methodology and activities ............................................................. 5 1.2.3 Output 3: Description of methodology and activities ............................................................. 5 2 COUNTRY: SLOVENIA ................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Territorial organisation............................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Spatial policies............................................................................................................................ 7 2.3 Roles and responsibilities in public services themes ............................................................ 8 3 REGIONAL AND TEST AREAS PROFILE ................................................................................... 11 3.1 Geographical situation............................................................................................................. 11 3.1.1 Overview about Gorenjska test areas ................................................................................. 11 3.1.2 Topographical specifics ....................................................................................................... 11 3.1.3 Settlement patterns ............................................................................................................. 13 3.1.4 Role of major settlements.................................................................................................... 13 3.2 Demography and human potential.......................................................................................... 14 3.2.1 Overview.............................................................................................................................. 14 3.2.2 Test area Kokra valley......................................................................................................... 14 3.2.3 Test area Skofja Loka Mountains........................................................................................ 16 3.3 Socio situation .......................................................................................................................... 19 3.3.1 Overview.............................................................................................................................. 19 3.3.2 Test area Kokra valley......................................................................................................... 19 3.3.3 Test area Skofja Loka Mountains........................................................................................ 20 4 THE PUBLIC SERVICES IN THE TEST AREAS: DESCRIPTION, EVALUATION, PROBLEMS, PERSPECTIVES ................................................. 22 4.1 Methodology.............................................................................................................................. 22 4.2 General situation for each public service themes................................................................. 22 4.2.1 Public transport.................................................................................................................... 22 4.2.2 Public administration: social services (social care/ health care/ elderly); police; advisory.. 23 4.2.3 Education: kindergartens and statutory primary schools; basic opportunities for professional and personal training....................................................................................... 23 4.2.4 Telecommunication: telephony, Internet, TV and radio....................................................... 24 4.2.5 Every day needs: food and non-food items; fuel; postal services ....................................... 24 4.3 The current difficulties/ worries .............................................................................................. 27 4.3.1 Overview.............................................................................................................................. 27 4.3.2 Test area Kokra valley......................................................................................................... 31 4.3.3 Test are Skofja Loka Mountains .......................................................................................... 37 5 BEST PRACTICES IN THE TEST AREA, THEIR SPECIFICS AND CONDITIONS FOR TRANSFERABILITY...................................................................................................................... 50 6 CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS ............................................................................................... 55 PUSEMOR/ Regional Report - Gorenjska / BSC Kranj 2 January 2006 1 Introduction 1.1 PUSEMOR: A general overview 1.1.1 Project background In today's mobile society and economy, the provision with public services (or more precisely: with services of public interest) is a locational key factor. Topographical features and frequently low population density mean that the public services in Alpine regions generally cover only a part of their costs. Market liberalisation and other factors threaten to reduce the availability of some services even further. New supply strategies are required to improve the quality of public services while reducing costs. The project “PUSEMOR” aims at developing sustainable strategies and innovative solutions for improving the provision of public services in sparsely populated mountain regions. This with the ambition to grade up these regions both as economic place and as place of residence. To reach the goals, the project has both an analytical / scientific and a strategic / political dimension. The analysis aims at gathering existing knowledge from the various regions involved, combining it in a methodical way and expanding it in specific areas. The strategic dimension is concerned with the formulation of implementation- ready concepts and pilot projects to improve provision of public services in sparsely populated areas. Consequently, the main activities of PUSEMOR are: • Workpackage 5: Regional studies (analysing the current standard of public services and its development during the last years, analysing the key factors of economic, political/institutional and technological framework conditions, identification of good ideas and best practices to improve the provision of public services.) • Workpackage 6: Transnational comparison of the results of regional studies and common inventory of best practices. • Workpackage 7a: Elaboration and development of innovative and effective new strategies and pilot projects. • Workpackage 7b and 8: Elaboration of recommendations for several stakeholders (public authorities/ policy makers, regional and local NGOs, providers of public services, consultants in regional development etc. • Workpackage 4: Permanent publicity activities about project’s findings and results. For more information about PUSEMOR (Partners, activities, news) see www.pusemor.net (in 5 languages) 1.2 Workpackage 5 Regional studies: Goals, objectives and activities The Workpackage 5 "Regional studies" aims at: • Clarifying the development and the current standard of public services in selected sparsely populated areas (1 - 3 test areas per participating region); • Identifying the needs of different user groups in these areas; PUSEMOR/ Regional Report - Gorenjska / BSC Kranj 3 January 2006 • Providing an inventory of exemplary new strategies i.e. "best practices” to improve basic provision in sparsely populated areas drawn up, including an examination of the key factors in economic, political/institutional and technological framework crucial for the implementation for the identified best practices. Following the objectives stated, the Workpackage 5 has resulted in regional-specific statements on three issues, presented as three Outputs: • OUTPUT (1) actual standard of public services and its development over the last years, including basic description and conditions of respective test areas • OUTPUT (2) Assessment by the users of the range of services, • OUTPUT (3) Detailed description of exemplary new strategies in the regions (inventory of „good ideas“), including and Outline of the relevant economic, political/institutional and technological framework This REGIONAL INTERMEDIATE REPORT (RIR) summarises findings of all three outputs for each of the total 9 regional teams 1. The Slovenian partners (BSC Kranj together with Barbara Cernic Mali from the Urban Planning Institute) were responsible for leading of this WP (elaborating methodologies and a common, standardised instruments, assistance to the other partners in doing regional studies, first guidelines for interpretation). They were assisted