Riga Planning Region

Riga Planning Region is the capital region of Latvia. Its location in the centre of the Baltic states, bordering with European and Eastern cultures, has formed Riga region as a dynamic and competitive metropolitan region of Northern Europe. Riga Planning Region has a population of almost 1 million which is more than 1/2 of the total number of residents of Latvia and accounts for approximately 2/3 of Latvia's economic value – it makes the metropolitan region as a driving force of all Latvian economy, education, science, tourism, sports and cultural life. Region strengthens the role of Riga as a global-oriented Baltic metropolis and promotes international competitiveness. Region is composed of 9 municipalities – capital city of Riga, along with neighbouring resort city Jurmala and regional center Sigulda, as well as other municipalities with development centers of metropolitan importance adjacent to the city of Riga. Due to their placement and relatively comfortable reach of Riga, strong functional links have emerged, determined by the attraction of Riga as an economic, financial, and cultural centre and facilitated by daily commuting of the population. The regional level of governance ensures a connection between the national and local level of governance through the function of coordination. In this way Riga Planning Region is capable of covering the issues, which exceed the borders of one local government, and in the same time it defines the demand for territorial solutions of national level. The region develops and implements projects within the framework of regional development supporting measures. The projects elaborated and realized by Riga Planning Region is one way of advancing the implementation of the activities and reaching the results set out in the regional planning documents.