Our experience

Setting the scene

EXPO Horticultural events have been organized roughly every 2 years since 1960. And in 2029, it is coming to Łódź, Poland. 

In March 2018, the city of Łódź was selected to host and organize the international exhibition. The 2029 event’s theme, Nature of the City, will focus on the economic development of cities and the role of nature in human life. It reflects the city’s desire to create a friendly, healthy living environment for its citizens and to install greenery. 

While Łódź’s hosting created a lot of excitement, it also raised doubts and fears that it would cause damage to the environment, and its organization would present challenges to those living in the neighborhood. 

In response, the City of Łódź worked with PwC to conduct a multidimensional analysis to gather citizen input.

How we helped

A team of PwC experts performed a feasibility study that focused on citizen participatory activities in order to gather input from both the local and regional communities. The analysis focused on a wide-range of topics, including: ecological, environmental, infrastructural, spatial, transportation, legal, organizational, financial, fiscal and socio-economic factors. 

The participatory activities for citizens included: 

• Two research walks with dendrologists and architects to explain the environmental conditions of the future exhibition area; 

• Workshops for representatives of local businesses, NGOs, and cultural organizations to involve citizens in the programme preparation; 

• Consultations in city parks where citizens could submit ideas to increase the aesthetic of the city’s green areas;

• And information meetings for residents of districts neighboring the Exhibition area.

Citizens were also able to provide their inputs via a PwC-conducted survey that addressed residents of Łódź and the Łódzkie region, but was also completed by citizens in other regions. The survey aimed to understand citizens' needs and preferences regarding the city’s green spaces. 

Respondents were invited to share their opinion on the parks they liked and why, what activities they used local parks for, suggested changes to improve their convenience, amenities that should be added, proposals for new trees and plants, and pro-environmental solutions that could be implemented to protect natural resources. More than 2,500 people completed the survey. 

Overall, these activities involved over 3,300 people, and media coverage reached millions of citizens. 

Impact and potential

In this project, the City of Łódź put their citizens first.

By involving the local and regional communities directly, the government was able to respond to their needs, concerns and requests and apply them to the organization of the 2029 EXPO Horticultural. The participatory activities, including the online survey, both involved citizens in the organization of the Exhibition and reassured interested parties that the planned investments would be implemented in respect and harmony with nature. Both these factors ensured the event would not have a negative impact on citizens’ lives. 

Based on their input, the City of Łódź changed their park design approach to reflect the preferences of their users.