About the OECD #ResilientPlaces blog series
In an era of unprecedented economic, environmental and geopolitical changes, local and regional leaders are uniquely placed to turn these changes into opportunities to improve the well-being of all citizens, strengthen resilience and boost competitiveness. Following the OECD Regional Development Policy Ministerial Committee meeting in Warsaw, Poland (19–20 May 2025), the OECD Champion Mayors, local and regional leaders, as well as stakeholders, continue to share innovative solutions to reinforce local and regional resilience in this blog series.
Mayors have faced a perfect storm of global challenges in recent years. It has been our responsibility – as the face of government closest to citizens – to guide them through the global pandemic, ruptures to global value chains, climate shocks and an accelerating digital transition. Yet these very challenges have also provided us with an opportunity to reconnect with our people – and to better prepare our regions for the future. We call on national governments to partner with us to seize that opportunity.
The case for place
That partnership must start with a shared recognition of the power of place-based policies. Nationwide policies – including legislation, standards and frameworks – play a vital role in keeping our citizens safe, healthy and happy. But most policies work better when they can be adapted to align to the very different needs of local markets, infrastructure and communities.
For example, while industrial policies – which have been in vogue in recent years – can be crafted at the national level, the sectors and investments they fund will only succeed if they are supported by the right local infrastructure, skills and services. Moreover, while national industrial policies tend to support cutting edge sectors in already successful clusters, a framework that provides for and nurtures local industrial strategies and strengths can ensure that the approach benefits all communities.
The same is true of climate policies. While national strategies can set climate targets and emissions limits, implementation is inherently local. Local knowledge and connections are required to adapt key infrastructure and win public support for approaches that can impact heavily on people’s daily lives, like decarbonising urban transport. That is why nearly 70% of climate-relevant investment across the OECD is in the hands of subnational governments. Moreover, with the poorest regions often those more heavily dependent on emissions-intensive industries, it is only with place-based policies that we can ensure a just transition for these places.
Even in the digital space – which enables users to transcend the “tyranny of distance” – policies work better when they are moulded to local markets. That includes tailored support for the local tech ecosystems and entrepreneurs that are generating the innovations pushing out the digital frontier, but also targeted investments in local digital infrastructure and skills to support the widespread diffusion and adoption of those innovations.
A new partnership for places
Subnational governments are already active in all these areas. But we are facing challenges that can only be overcome in partnership with national governments. That requires a new way of working, which is why mayors have come together with broader local stakeholders to present Ministers with Reinforcing Local and Regional Resilience: A Call to Action from local leaders and stakeholders ahead of their Regional Development Policy Ministerial meeting in Warsaw, Poland.
We call on national governments to fully embrace place-based policy making in all areas, and partner with subnational governments in designing and delivering national strategies. We call on them to double down their efforts to tackle longstanding inequalities between regions, and empower us to accelerate the digital and green transitions. And we call on them to boost our financial and human capacity to drive change.
The OECD can help us in that mission, by providing us with timely, granular data to inform key decisions, new insights into emerging challenges and opportunities, and a platform to share knowledge and ideas and amplify the voice of local leaders on the international stage.
Places of opportunity
Our message is clear: we need stronger places if we want more resilient, competitive countries.
In recent years, mayors have shown their ability to steer their cities and regions through tough times. Now is the time to for national governments to partner with them to build a more prosperous, more sustainable, and fairer future for all our regions.
OECD support for empowering places to boost national competitiveness
The OECD highlights how competitive and resilient countries are built on the strength of their places. Key publications include Rethinking Regional Attractiveness in the New Global Environment, OECD Regional Outlook 2023, and Place-Based Policies for the Future, offering frameworks, data-driven insights, and policy tools that link local resilience to national competitiveness
Matúš Vallo has been the Mayor of Bratislava since December 2018, when he won the municipal elections with 36,5% of the vote. Before he was elected mayor, he was a co-founder of the Vallo Sadovsky Architects studio.
Matúš was born in Bratislava and then went to high school in Rome. He then graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava. During his career as an architect, Matúš has worked in London and other cities. He received a Fulbright scholarship from Columbia University in New York.
As mayor, one of the main goals for Matúš and his team has been to create a strong and resilient city with a high level of transparency as a key to fighting corruption.
Building on his professional experience, Matúš has placed an emphasis on well-designed public spaces. Other key topics are mitigation and adaptation to climate change, accessible public transport, social welfare and support for vulnerable groups.