|
Umea (2014) -
The Organisation
|
|
In May 2005 the City Council decided that Umeå should launch a bid to become European Capital of Culture 2014. A political steering committee for the project was formed, consisting of leading representatives of the political parties on the City Council. A group of administrators was also appointed to assist the steering committee. This has a permanent core consisting of the city manager, two project managers, a project coordinator and a web designer. Representatives of the City of Umeå’s administrative units, Umeå University, Västerbotten County Administrative Board and Västerbotten County Council have functioned as a consultative group for the project management, as part of the work of designing the application.
A project plan has been produced in five stages for the period 2005–2025. The City Council and the boards have continually been informed about the progress of the project, and they have contributed with proposals, views and project ideas. Umeå 2014 has been an integral part of the city’s overall planning of activities for all boards and administrative units. Support from and dialogue with regional operators has been accomplished by means of workshops. In 2006–2008 the steering committee and the management committee organised about 50 public talks and lectures with specially invited cultural figures. Representatives of previous European Capitals of Culture have participated in some of these meetings. Via the website – www.umea2014.se – the citizens of Umeå have been given the opportunity to express their opinions about the European Capital of Culture year and to share their ideas and dreams with others.
The dialogue with the citizens has yielded impressive results. An opinion poll in May 2008 showed that 83 % of Umeå’s citizens know that the city is bidding to become European Capital of Culture 2014. The 2014 process so far has been evaluated in a special auditor’s report. Different forms of dialogue have been developed for the purposes of involving citizens, cultural operators and other interested parties.
|
