THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR ST. PETERSBURG Address by the Governor of St. Petersburg Declaration of the General Council The Strategic Plan for St. Petersburg (CONTENTS) The Main Goal and Principal Strategic Objectives The Strategic Plan for St. Petersburg: Main Bearings

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SAINT-PETERSBURG

HOW THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR ST. PETERSBURG WAS DEVELOPED

Work on the Strategic Plan was carried out between October 1996 and December 1997. The process was conducted with maximum openness and was extensively covered in the mass media. Measures to involve the general public included the holding of public conferences open to all citizens of St. Petersburg. Drafting of the plan centred on thematic committees, which were responsible for developing specific strategies. The latter committees were made up of approximately 450 members drawn from the city administration, major businesses, professional associations and public organizations. The committees were responsible for analyzing problems, formulating objectives and defining tasks and measures for the implementation of such objectives.

First phase (October-December 1996). Two objectives were pursued: formulation of a methodology for strategic planning and identification of strategic priorities for St. Petersburg. The crowning point of this phase was the First Public Conference, entitled "The Strategic Plan for St. Petersburg: priorities and projects", held on December 12th 1996, which endorsed the methodological approach proposed for the Strategic Plan.

Second phase (January-March 1997). During the second phase organizational structures for the development of the Strategic Plan were established, and development goals were analyzed and identified. On March 14th 1997 the Second Public Conference, "The Strategic Plan: its main goal and principal objectives" was held in the Mariinsky Palace. The latter conference adopted "the Provisional Statute Regarding Strategic Planning in St. Petersburg". It also appointed the General Council, the Council of Experts (7 experts), a methodological seminar, 12 thematic committees and the Project Office. The conference ratified the main goal and principal objectives of the Strategic Plan.

The third phase was devoted to drafting of individual strategies by the 12 thematic committees. A system of objectives and measures to be included in the Strategic Plan was established, and the first draft of the basic version of the Strategic Plan was prepared. The latter was ratified on July 7th at a plenary meeting of the Executive Committee for the Strategic Plan in the presence of the St. Petersburg City Government.

Following ratification of the first draft, the plan was made available for extensive professional and public debate. In August-October 1997 the text of the first draft was reviewed and examined in detail by delegates of the Legislative Assembly, subsections of the city administration, members of the General Council, and by the scientific community. The Project Office received more than 115 official letters containing more than 500 proposals and amendments to the phrasing of, and to the specific measures set out in, the Strategic Plan.

The latter valuable comments were passed in their entirety to the thematic committees and, on the basis of suggestions made, a further two committees were set up. Committees notified all interested parties of the results of discussion of incoming response at sectional seminars at the Third Public Conference, "The Strategic Plan for St. Petersburg". In the second half of October 1997 15 sectional meetings were held, at which various thematic parts of the Strategic Plan were reviewed and approved. About 900 people in total attended the latter meetings.

Thus, the plan was brought to completion and approved by degrees. After all approved amendments had been incorporated into the text, a master version of the plan was prepared, which, after examination by the Council of Experts, was submitted to the General Council for discussion.

On December 1st 1997 a meeting of the General Council of the Strategic Plan was held at Smolny, the headquarters of the city administration.

The Strategic Plan was unanimously adopted by the meeting. An overwhelming majority of the General Council (143 members) signed a declaration of readiness to participate in implementation of the plan. The meeting adopted a resolution of the General Council identifying priority actions to be undertaken in order to ensure implementation of the Strategic Plan.

The main text of the official draft of the plan consists of 48 pages; including the two main appendices, the same draft comes to 115 pages. The plan identifies a main goal, 4 strategic objectives, 22 goals, 83 specific objectives and 211 measures. 16 appendices, totaling about 1,200 pages, have been published as separate volumes. Specifically, the latter are made up of: one volume of maps; one volume of information cards of measures to be taken under the Strategic Plan; and 14 volumes produced by the thematic committees and incorporating material justifying proposed measures (individual strategies).

The present publication comprises part of the main text, the first two appendices and some of the cartographic material from the official draft of the Strategic Plan. The text is presented in a slightly abridged form, and the list of measures to be taken (Section 3) omits the columns entitled "performance indicators" and "participants in implementation of measures". Editing has been carried out by Leonid Limonov and Boris Zhikharevich.