Reaction of Czech municipalities to the COVID-19 pandemic

Research report: experiences, barriers, examples of good practice

The research was created as part of a call to solve the crisis situation caused by the worldwide spread of the SARSCoV-2 virus and focused on the reactions of cities and municipalities in the Czech Republic, which are a basic self-governing unit and are therefore also an important social actor in solving the pandemic of the disease COVID-19.

The goal of the research was to map the experience of municipalities in the Czech Republic with the crisis situation caused by the coronavirus epidemic in selected areas of their operation and to convey this knowledge to the solvers of the main project "Smart City Compass: Software to support the implementation and evaluation of smart measures in cities" (hereinafter referred to as Smart City Compass). , to representatives of network organizations for cities and municipalities and also to the municipalities themselves, as a basis for setting up suitable support measures or mutual inspiration.

About the result

The report is divided into two main chapters. The first chapter About the research presents the aim of the research and its methodology, which includes a description of the communication partners as well as the course of activities and the methods used. The second chapter presents a detailed description of the findings divided into five thematic areas - Transformation of the functioning of municipal self-government, Adaptation strategy and support of the economic sector of private catering establishments, Municipal buildings and buildings of civic amenities, Preparation for crisis situations and Municipal finances in the time of the coronavirus.
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Appendices are also an integral part of the summary research report. In addition to the full text of the questionnaire for municipalities (see Questionnaire), they also contain an overview document on the development of the epidemic (see Development of the coronavirus epidemic and impact on cities and municipalities in the Czech Republic). In addition, the appendices contain examples of solutions (see Examples of good practice from the Czech Republic and abroad) and a description of Consideration of findings in the main outputs of the Smart City Compass project.

This research was carried out as part of the "Smart City Compass: Software to support the implementation and evaluation of smart measures in cities" project, which was expanded in 2020 to include additional activities based on a call from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR) for project solvers related to the pandemic COVID-19. Smart City Compass contributes to the implementation and monitoring of the smart city concept in the Czech Republic through the public software tool of the same name. This SW has three key functions, namely an educational function in relation to municipalities, a guide function for setting quantified goals and a function enabling monitoring and evaluation of progress in the implementation of the smart city concept at the local level.

The project is based on an existing methodology developed for the Ministry of Regional Development in cooperation with the Czech Technical University and the Czech Council for Sustainable Buildings.

Report to download here.