Metropolis of Bydgoszcz – the power of arguments

With a robust technological sector, high-level specialist competencies, and a strategic location, Bydgoszcz is captivating investors while simultaneously forming the core of a unique metropolitan community, where harmony between private and business life is becoming an important issue.

From the Ancient Greek metrópolis "mother city, capital", a large city that is the economic and cultural center of a larger area, in Ancient Greece – polis, whose citizens founded colony cities connected to it economically and culturally[1]. Nowadays, we associate it with innovative, technical, social, political and cultural potential, with a big city, development, a high concentration of residents, or a closely landscaped area. Cities such as New York, London or Paris come to mind. In Poland, large urban centres also shape and drive economic development, improve the quality of life of their residents and have a huge impact on the lives of residents of neighboring municipalities. This is no different in the case of the Bydgoszcz Metropolis.

The authorities of 17 municipalities, the City of Bydgoszcz and two poviats from the western part of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, who in 2016 established the Bydgoszcz Metropolis Association, are driven by voluntary cooperation, mutual support in joint activities for socio-economic development, increasing the quality of life of residents, as well as developing a sense of metropolitan community[2]. Today, Bydgoszcz, together with the other members of the Association, is an area inhabited by over 600,000 people, which makes it a strong dynamically developing business centre in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, offering a good climate for entrepreneurship and further investments.

Bydgoszcz as the driving power of the metropolis

In recent years, Bydgoszcz has undergone a real metamorphosis in the cultural, tourist, architectural, but above all, the business aspect.

 – The lowest unemployment rate in the Voivodeship, or presence among the largest Polish cities are important arguments for the economic development of the city – says Edyta Wiwatowska, President of the Bydgoszcz Regional Development Agency.

The Agency has been supporting the implementation of investment processes for 10 years. In 2014-2022, the Agency handled more than 1,000 projects with clients considering the possibility of developing their business or directly implementing new investment plans.

– We estimate that in the years 2014-2022 the value of the declared capital expenditures of the selected 44 projects remaining in the Agency’s service amounted to over PLN 1.7 billion, and the declared number of workplaces in these projects amounted to over 8,300 people – emphasizes the President of BRDA.

The strength of Bydgoszcz are well-established industrial traditions. The manufacturing sector employs almost half of all people working in the city. The local economy is based on electromechanical, transport, tool and plastics processing, polymer materials, armaments, electronic, telecommunications or food industries. Bydgoszcz enterprises successfully operate on European and global markets, joining the group of leaders in their sectors.

Strong manufacturing sector, dynamically growing e-commerce industry, as well as convenient location of the City, along with an extended network of expressways are conducive to the development of the warehouse and logistics market in the city. The central location of Bydgoszcz on the map of Poland, access to an international airport, as well as good connection to sea ports in Gdańsk and Gdynia, and large economic centres such as Berlin and Wrocław are important factors considered by warehousing and logistics investors when selecting the location for their businesses. The increase in the attractiveness of Bydgoszcz as a logistic centre is also influenced by the construction of S5 and the planning of S10 expressways that will connect the coast with Silesia and Warsaw with Szczecin. In recent years, the stock of modern production and warehouse space has grown dynamically and currently there are 690,000 m2 warehouses available, and approx. 170,000 m2 are under construction and planning.

Bydgoszcz is among the important locations in Poland also for investments in the modern business services sector. About 60 BPO, SSC, IT and R&D service centres operate in the “city open to outsourcing”, and the number of jobs in this sector currently exceeds 12,500 of which over 80% is generated by IT services, creating a strong local specialisation. Financial and accounting centres and contact centres are also developing more and more dynamically. Modern office spaces in Bydgoszcz today amount to 145,000 m2 and another 61,000 m2 received a building permit.

Bydgoszcz has an excellent base of investment areas within the administrative boundaries of the city, with good infrastructure, covered by the spatial development plan. The total area of these areas is 150 ha, of which approx. 60 ha is located in the Bydgoszcz Industrial and Technological Park.

Resource synergy

What attracts investors to Bydgoszcz strongly complements the potential of neighboring municipalities, creating a unique synergy effect. The greatest advantages of the communes included in the Association are its attractive location, accessibility of investment areas, entrepreneurship of residents and active local governments. Bordering with the Bydgoszcz agglomeration, access to important transport routes, the system of exemptions and tax reliefs on real estate within the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone, as well as the openness of municipal authorities and assistance in legal and administrative matters related to the preparation and implementation of the investment, create good conditions for living and running a business.

The economy of the municipalities is based, among others, on industry, agriculture, meat and food processing, transport or services. Organizations which support business and offer attractive areas for investments include Technology Park in Solec Kujawski, where 35 hectares have already been developed and another 30 hectares are waiting for investors, Nadnotecki Industrial Park in Paterek with an area of 25 hectares with an open area of 10 hectares, or an industrial zone in Koronowo with an area of over 22 hectares (ultimately 65 hectares). On the other hand, the investment offer of municipalities, outside Bydgoszcz, in the field of modern logistics and warehouse space is estimated at over 220,000 m2, and over 70,000 m2 still remain under planning and construction.

An important aspect for investors is access to human resources and competences. Also in this respect, the Bydgoszcz Metropolis market is attractive. The presence of over 600,000 inhabitants puts this area in a privileged position in terms of the availability of staff. The technical profile of secondary education, as well as the proximity of Bydgoszcz universities will help investors find qualified staff necessary to conduct their business. The recruitment process is facilitated by well-functioning transport in the neighbouring municipalities and good connections to Bydgoszcz. Quick and easy access of employees to workplaces is crucial in business planning. Therefore, the network of inter-municipal connections is gradually increased.

Development in the spirit of work-life balance

People remain the most important factor for the development of both business and the city as a whole – hence the assessment of the quality of life plays an increasingly important role in the process of further investment development. Bydgoszcz is a city of harmony and balance, caring for nature and constantly investing to be a more friendly place for residents and businesses. The area attracts with a good cultural, residential and educational offer, interesting places for active recreation and pursuing passions. This is confirmed by the presence of Bydgoszcz in the top ten in the prestigious European Best Destination 2020 plebiscite, or the highest quality of life indicators not only in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, but also in the entire country, in the ‘Suburban zones of cities with poviat rights’ category’ in the ‘Good to live in’ ranking for one of the municipalities in the Metropolis – Osielsko.

Cooperation within the Bydgoszcz Metropolis Association takes place on many levels, which often intertwine. The development of public transport, joint economic promotion and senior policy, waste management, crisis management or the implementation of purchasing groups for gas and electricity are just some of the joint ventures. Bydgoszcz, as the largest city of this union, is undoubtedly the locomotive of economic growth in the region, but the strength of Bydgoszcz is also the potential of nearby municipalities, creating together a unique cooperation that pays off.

^{[1] Source: pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolia}

^{[2] Source: metropoliabydgoszcz.pl/p/3-geneza-powstania and https://bydgoszczinformuje.pl/szesc-lat-starzyenia-metropolia-bydgoszcz-tu-bije-serce-regionu/}

This article comes from magazine:
FOCUS ON Business #14 January-February (1/2024)