Under the auspices of the WHO office in Europe, the City of Izmir, Turkey, hosted the Fifth Annual Business Meeting and Technical Conference of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network and the Network of European National Healthy Cities Networks on 20–22 September 2013. The Network unites 30 national networks with more than 1,400 Healthy Cities and Municipalities. Overall, the conference was attended by 270 participants from 27 countries – in particular representatives of cities, their networks or professional organisations. The Conference gave priority to the current discussions on the WHO Healthy City Project in its 5th Phase and evaluation process of the activities performed. The overarching theme of the Conference was "Innovation through leadership and shared governance for health and well-being". WHO issued a detailed material that summarises individual presentations and workshop outputs (see download link below).

The Conference included both the Phase V WHO Healthy City Project (2009–2013) evaluation process and the official preparation of the subsequent Phase VI. The entries included presentations of information on summary results of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network and individual National Healthy Cities Networks. Individual workshops and conference sections for instance concentrated on healthy lifestyle, healthy urban environment, health promotion, health literacy or shared governance and planning for health. The presentations included specific professional papers to topics such as economic side of health prevention and promotion of healthy lifestyle or risks related with communicable and non-communicable (lifestyle) diseases. Specific examples from practice included Great Britain with its concept of "resilient" communities concept, Malmö City presented e.g. municipal planning from the point of view of addressing social determinants of health. Naturally, great attention has been paid to the current thematic strategy Health 2020 and outlined priorities.

Another WHO conference dedicated to this and other topics is going to take place in Athens, Greece, on October 22nd to 25th, 2014.

The 10th National Conference on Quality in Public administration hosted a ceremony of awarding Prizes of the Ministry of Interior for quality and innovation in public administration in 2013. The ceremony was held in Aldis Congress Centre in Hradec Kralove. Members of the CZ National Network of Healthy Cities succeeded in all categories. They won awards for realisation of Local Agenda 21, i.e., for practical employment of sustainable development principles and active cooperation of the office with the public, but also for application of other methods of quality in public administration. The Healthy Cities also include several holders of prestigious Prizes for Innovation.

The Silver prize for quality in public administration for the realisation of LA21 was awarded to the Healthy Cities of Chrudim, Koprivnice, Litomerice, Vsetin and Healthy Town Krizanky. The Silver Prize for other methods of quality in public administration was awarded to Healthy Cities Koprivnice (model CAF), Prestice and Sternberk (EN ISO 9001). The Bronze Prize for application of LA21 was received by the representatives of Healthy Cities Hlucin, Jihlava, Prostejov, Prestice, Ricany, Tabor, Trebic, Uherske Hradiste, Velke Mezirici, Healthy Moravian-Silesian Region, Healthy Vysocina Region and Healthy City District of Prague 21. The Bronze Prize for other methods of quality in public administration was received by the representatives of the Healthy City Nove Mesto na Morave (model CAF) and of the Regional Office of the Moravian–Silesian Region (EMAS).

The prestigious Prize for innovation in public administration in 2013 was awarded to the Healthy Cities Jihlava (Online consultation of local plan), Koprivnice (More effective use of methods and tools of quality in public administration for management of the town and municipal office in Koprivnice ), two prizes have been awarded to Uherske Hradiste (Agendas of the department of town property administration using internet/intranet/ and Safety e-Analysis) and Healthy City District Prague Libus (The approach of CD Prague – Libus to a shift of third-country immigrants towards legal work habits and the role of active inhabitant under the conditions of a small city district, in particular through the project "All together to the job market" and other projects).

On Tuesday of February 11, 2014, the regular Meeting of Healthy Regions took place at the Regional Office of the South-Moravian Region. The aim of the event was to share the approved practices and inspirations related with development of Healthy Regions and discuss mutual cooperation with towns, sub-regions and cities in a given region. Experience from practice was presented by the representatives of South-Moravian, Vysocina, Liberec, Pilsen and Moravian-Silesian Regions. Representative of the Capital City of Prague, that has been a HCCZ member since 2013, was also present at the meeting for the first time. The participants were welcome by Antonin Tesarik, politician of the Healthy South-Moravian Region and LA21 and director of the Regional Office of the South-Moravian Region, Dr. Vera Vojackova, MPA.

Representatives of the South-Moravian Region introduced tens of interesting activities in various fields that should be comprehensively covered by the topic of "Social Responsibility". The activities of the Healthy Region on Facebook, for instance the creation of interactive educational cartoon, can serve as an example of innovative communication with young public.

The Moravian-Silesian Region introduced the EMAS, System, which is aimed at green activities of the office and established organisations. The system also brings economic savings to the region in a form of reduced operation costs of the office and organisation, which has been also verified in practice. The regional coordinator also invited the participants to Ostrava for a show titled "Amusingly about old age" (18. 6. 2014) and Autumn HCCZ School (5. - 7. 11. 2014).

Liberec Region can for instance boast the project HARMONIZE, focused on harmony between work and family life. The office also won the prize of the public "Open 2013". The current innovation in strategic planning is the preparation of Regional Development Programme for 2014-2020. The preparation stage of the document was realised using round tables dedicated to 14 topics of regional development with active participation of the regional partners.

Representatives of Pilsen Region mentioned an establishment of workgroup that was formerly dedicated to the field of public health support with Regional Health Station acting as a professional guarantor. They also introduced the system of grants, used by the region for the support of projects in priority fields selected by the expert group.

Vysocina Region presented itself with an interesting project titled "Engaged People". The project takes place in cooperation with Lower Austria Region that hosts education of experts and facilitators who should help small towns and LAG's in quality realisation of local Agenda 21. The grant system for LA21 support as well as grants to Regional Health Policy (in accordance with Health 2020) are important motivation factors from the part of the region. The volume of financial means in this chapter is severalfold higher than in other regions, which proves the high level of political support for Healthy Region and LA21 in Vysocina.

Within the closing discussion, representatives of individual regions presented the way they systematically support Healthy Cities and Local Agendas 21 in their region. Representatives of the regions also discussed the possibilities of linking LA21 to other methods of quality, formulation of strategic documents including regional health policy, meeting with Healthy Cities and other interested parties in the region, set-up of subsidy titles for LA21 support, forms of public engagement on the regional level and cooperation with youth and many other topics.

The event is a part of HCCZ project titled STRATEG-2, supported with financial resources of ESF and the state budget within The Human Resources and Employment Operational Programme.

The Faculty of Architecture at the CTU in cooperation and with a support of Healthy Cities of the Czech Republic and Heinrich Böll Stiftung Foundation organise activities in 2014 with a characteristic title of “Housing estate, what next?” The aim of this project to be participated in by the students of the above stated university within their final theses, represents search for a long-term transformation of housing estates. Processing of case studies from the selected Bohemian and Moravian Cities is going to take place in 2014, the findings will be summarised by the international conference, exhibition and special publication. At the same time there is going to be a number of accompanying activities dedicated to the topic of housing estates both in the pilot communities and within the term paper of the above stated faculty.

After the evaluation of diversification of individual locations, project options and interests of the locations as such, we have chosen 6 locations – three city districts of Prague, specifically Prague 10 and Prague 12 and Healthy City District Prague 14. The other Healthy Cities include Mlada Boleslav, Karlovy Vary and Vsetin. Initial meetings with local planners, city planners, architects and politicians have taken place in all above mentioned cities and city districts and included inspection of the locations to be explored. Architects and students received detailed information on the history, development and planning objectives in the given locations. They were also familiarised with the main problems to be solved in the locations. Representatives of municipal authorities welcome the cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture and are eager to see the new approaches and solutions to working with the public area of housing estates and improving the quality of inhabitants' life, that the prepared studies could bring.

All participating locations will be offered 3 to 4 gratuitous options of urban visions of the future development of the selected housing estate, including analytical evaluation of the given location with respect to environmental, social and economic aspects of the environment. Presentations of the results will take place in a form of travelling exhibition and on-site events. The analysis as well as particular formulated projects can serve as a basis for discussion with the public over long-term concept of transformation and as a basis for assignment of specific subsequent urban and architectonic studies.

The project will also include the prepared international conference that should take place in Prague in November 2014. The conference will introduce project results and a number of practices from abroad – quality realisations for inspiration as well as what has not been successful in the field of housing estate complexes revitalisation.

In the long run, the Healthy Cities of the Czech Republic have been collecting best practice examples from various fields and linked thus gained information purposefully. A thematic portal was launched last autumn, offering a host of information related with the issue of seniors. Best practice examples and a much more other information, statistical data and partners are available on the new Healthy Cities website titled Senior Friendly Cities. The thematic portal serves both representatives of the cities and their offices as well as other organisations as inspiration for their senior-friendly activities. The cities can learn how to accommodate seniors further and use the potential brought to the society by this group.

"Senior friendly cities" will be soon followed by other thematic HCCZ websites, to be dedicated to other topics, important for the development of towns and cities. The first of them is a topic developed by HCCZ in cooperation with Palacky University in Pardubice and its Department of Recreology. The topic will focus on inspirations in the field of supporting physical activity of all generations. The portal "City and movement" will be launched in the second half of 2014. Another important topic being dealt with in the long run in cooperation with SEVER organisation, is the issue of young people's engagement in the development of places they live in. The portal titled "City for the youth" therefore covers best practice examples and other related information.

We believe that you will find the above stated websites interesting and that you will offer your experience or inspirations to others.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Regional Development, the Healthy Cities of the Czech Republic will be searching this year for inspiration and long-term approved experience from the field of sustainable tourism in the municipalities and regions of the Czech Republic.

This can relate with interesting endeavours in the area of building innovative tourist or cycle paths, various forms of region promotion that attract visitors, maintain or create more jobs while maintaining and further developing the natural or cultural diversity of the given location – all that rightly belongs among the fields well worth of active support. We can also include activities that seek balance between environmental protection and development of the region, between business interests and those of visitors as such. A number of such projects have been running in the Czech Republic and we will be pleased to collect and support them.

The activities have been co-financed by the subsidies of the CZ Ministry of Regional Development for non-state non-profit organisations 2014.

The database of Healthy Cities at www.DobraPraxe.cz (partly translated at good-practice.eu/en/) among others contains examples of volunteering activities from various areas of the country and abroad. HCCZ continue in further collection of inspiration from this area, the database is also open to other examples from the cities, towns and regions of the Czech Republic. For instance, we will appreciate further inspiration to the topic of young people's engagement in the municipal affairs.

The internet database at www.DobraPraxe.cz already contains 230 inspiring examples from various areas of development of cities, towns and regions. In the database, you can find examples from the fields such as living environment, transportation, social services, free time, but also volunteer activities, treatments of public areas and others. The database also includes so called "fragments" – short clear examples of what has proven successful in practice and what may inspire others.