The territory of Riga Planning Region was created as prescribed by Regulations No 133 of the Cabinet of Ministers as of 25.03.2003. „Regulations on Territories of Planning Regions”, however the state institution was founded on 12 October, 2006.

Riga region is situated in the central part of Latvia and its metropolis is the capital city of Latvia - Riga. The territory of the region covers Riga, Riga district, Jūrmala, as well as the districts of Tukums, Ogre and Limbaži. Being in the centre of the Baltic countries, on the border between the European and Eastern cultures has constituted to Riga region becoming a bridge between the different countries and their inhabitants.

From ancient times Daugava River has been sailed by trade caravans - everyone from the Varangians to the Greeks. Later Christian missionaries, traders of the Hanseatic Union, and people from Germany, Russia, Holland, Sweden, England and other countries came to stay in this land.

The multinational and dynamic metropolis of the region is Riga, organically absorbing the influences of different nations, the picturesque towns of Limbaži, Tukums and Ogre, spas of Jūrmala and Sigulda, as well as the unindustrialised rural areas.

The active link with other countries has also developed the special attitude to every guest. Despite the changes in power and political structure, the hospitality, with which every guest is received in the region, has remained unchanged. Those were traders and artists that for the inspiration for their work have paid back with enriching the region’s life, also tourists who have experienced the rich opportunities the region has to offer.

More detailed information about the municipalities of the region can be found in subsections.

DENSITY OF POPULATION

The most important resource for the region’s development is its population. 47% of the inhabitants of Latvia are concentrated in Riga planning region, and as such, the region is the largest among the Baltic countries with more than 1, 2 million inhabitants. The size of Riga and its economically dominant role has influenced and still influences the development of other subordinate population centres, its placement, migration, economically functional correlation in the wide territory.

During last decades big and the largest populated areas have been appearing most rapidly exactly in Riga region. Around Riga the city influence area – Pieriga– has been formed. Riga, Jūrmala and Riga district forms the heart of the regions with the highest concentration of population, manufacturing and service and also development problems.

Work possibilities in the centre of the Region creates something similar to magnet effect for attracting people, which is the main source for ensuring the growth of population in Riga and its surroundings. It is complemented by daily pendulum migration of inhabitants going to work, by forming the agglomeration of Riga, which extends outside the border of Riga planning region.

Riga region is the only one in Latvia, in which all types of populated areas of the country are represented. Spatial contrasts are very bright - the functional role, type of construction and quality of the offered life environment changes on a very wide scale.

The city net of Riga region is formed by 20 cities, in which 85% of the population of the whole region is living. Each city forms a particular area around itself. In the biggest cities and near them the inhabitants have better and more versatile possibilities to study, choose job, make career and to spend their free time.

Jūrmala city is a traditional summer resort, which is influenced by the development of Riga’s economic zones. Tukums, Limbaži and Ogre play the role of local centres of the region. 

Jūrmala and Sigulda are popular tourism centres. Sigulda is developing as a sport and tourism centre of national and international importance. The ports of Salacgriva and Skulte are historic ports of fishery and timber export.

In villages near Riga and their countryside areas intensive constructions works take place – especially in municipalities, bordering with Riga city. Part of the villages have formed historically as manufacturing and service centres. Problematic territories are „summer cottage and gardener villages” and „Shiver villages”, whose development is not taking the desirable course – very often without common development concept. By creating „bedrooms” of Pieriga, which increase the pendulum migration and decreases the development potential of the territory in the future.

The biggest population increase is exactly in the rural municipalities of Pieriga, the decrease – in remote areas of the region, increasing significant territorial differences. A clear process of population ageing can be observed in the region, which creates the increased social load. In Riga the smallest proportion of new people can be observed, which will leave negative influence on work resources in the nearest future. Considerably high level of education of inhabitants, concentration of universities, investigation institutions and science centres, the structure of density of region’s population, multinational population composition can be evaluated as important resources for the region’s development. The amount of social services (especially universities, culture and sports infrastructure and hospitals) exceeds considerably the needs of the region, concentrating the services of national importance.

Inhomogeneity of population placement, the variety of the demographical structure in the region marks several different development areas, which might be assessed as development potential, as the advantage, which paves the way for the development of diverse economic, social and cultural activities and for the intensive value exchange inside the region:

• Pierīga, which includes the suburban area of Riga;
• Country territories around the bow of regionally important cities;
• Remote rural territories near the external border of the region in its north, east and west.
• Each of these territories plays a distinct role and importance in the region’s spatial and functional structure.

In order to organize the development population distribution, the centres of population distribution have been determined – populated areas which can perform not only local functions, but they are also needed or they are used by the population of a wider territory. In the process of modern development the advantages are obtained by those centres which have better transport geographical position, better experience, higher level of human resources and which are able to adapt faster to new economic conditions.

Infrastructure can be compared to blood-vessels which ensure the functioning of the whole organism. Riga planning centre concentrates transport, power, environment, communication and informatics infrastructure of national importance. Transport infrastructure is of special importance – moving around and cargo transport in the region is ensured by motorcar roads and railway, whereas the international access is ensured by motorcar roads, railway, as well as air traffic and ports.

The region is the node of cargo and passenger transport organization of national and international importance, which is characterised by radially concentric structure. Almost all important state motorcar roads, railway lines start in Riga; the international airport „Riga”, several small airfields, Riga port and four small ports are situated in the region. In long period a relatively balanced dense transport net has been formed, which ensures the internal flow of cargo and passengers of the countryside areas, as well as their connections with Riga and cities of other districts.

At the international level the East-West corridor of TEN-T (road net of European importance) and North-South corridor of „Via Baltica” is very important, which crosses in the region and creates beneficial preconditions for ensuring the international access.

Apart from that, the low quality of roads should be noted – especially in the territories of remote rural areas, which creates difficulties for the access to theses territories. Riga centre can be accessed by public transport in 30 minutes – if from Pieriga, but from the remote areas of the region even 3 hours might be necessary. Each year the intensity of local and international traffic increases, there is growth in cargo and passenger flow on the motorcar roads, the push-pull migration from the residential areas in Pieriga to work places in the very Riga also increases. As a result, the carrying capacity of the main motorcar road entries and city main roads approaches the maximum limit. For the passenger transporting in Riga and Pieriga the biggest value of the railway net - the radial structure with branches in both directions – is not used. The lack of mutual link between the arched connections and most important populated areas is not optimal for the development of the region – in most cases the displacement is through Riga, increasing the traffic jams and delaying the mutual communication of centres inside the region.

The Riga Airport gradually plays more important role in the international transport, it has turned into the biggest airport in the Baltic countries, and it complies with the international requirements and develops rapidly. The airport does not have corresponding connections to the regional public transport system and railway net.

Historically the Riga port has been the driving force for the economic development of the region; regarding cargo turnover the port occupies the second place in the country after the Ventspils port. In recent years the cargo turnover (the sent and received cargoes) increases considerably in the Riga port, but it does not use sufficiently the possibilities of attending passengers, which respectively does not correspond to the possibilities of Riga as of the metropolis and the centre of the Baltic countries.

In comparison to other regions in Latvia Riga planning region is provided considerably better with the information technologies and the access to their resources, which is proved by the proportion of computer users, which is two times higher than in other regions. However, at the same time, unequal access of inhabitants to the information resources is characteristic for the region, depending on the place of residence and net of telecommunication service infrastructure.

Riga region has not evaluated yet and sufficiently used the advantages of its territorial position, which causes lagging behind in comparison to other regions of the capital cities of the Baltic Sea, which thus considerably prevents the development of Riga region already in the near future.

Three magisterial international pipe lines cross the Region, thus ensuring the flow of gas and oil products and the access to good resources, and providing preconditions for the modernization of the local infrastructure. The most important national sites of producing energy (Kegums hydroelectric power station, Riga hydroelectric power station and Riga TEC-1 (thermal power station), TEC-2), management (headquarters of „Latvenergo"), energy division (The dispatching control service office of the Baltic States and Russia North-Western electro systems), as well as larger energy consumption sites are situated in the territories of the municipalities of Riga region. With the increase of the energy consumption the existing power supply does not provide possibilities for long-term development – it is necessary to increase our own power supply and to decrease the dependence on foreign countries.

In accordance with the requirements of the EU directive the modernization of the community management has been started. At the moment many cities and populated areas of Riga region lack the centralized system of water supply and sewerage or the infrastructure of the existing systems is out of date; there is lack of machineries for iron removal from the water. As the amount of household waste increases rapidly, the introduction of the regional system for waste recollection, sorting and recycling becomes topical and important.

The multiform infrastructure of the Region is on the verge of changes, because the existing possibilities for use and development are exhausted in most cases, which means that new solutions have to be found.

Environment is our living space, in which all economic and cultural activities take place. Notwithstanding the relatively high level of population, infrastructure and economical activities, the region still has the respectively high quality of environment: a positive proportion of open territories and areas with constructions, relatively low density of population, air polluted relatively little, water and soil and nature territories with great variety of plant and animal species.

Recently the environment quality has been perceived as the precondition of the development of the economic activities. Riga planning region concentrates considerable environment values which are unique not only in Latvia, but also occupy a very important place at the European level. Beaches, confluence of three big rivers – the Daugava, the Lielupe and the Gauja, the shallow lagoon lakes near the sea, extensive swamp areas near Riga and forest ecosystems form the landscape and environment basis in the central part of the Riga region and complement the development potential of Riga.

In Latvia there are specially protected natural areas (SPNA): strict nature reserves, national parks, biosphere reserves, nature reserves, nature parks, areas of protected landscapes, natural monuments (secular trees, geological and geomorphologic formations) and micro reserves. The territory of SPNA in Riga region exceeds 10% of the total area of the region. In Riga region there are two national parks – the south-western part of the Gauja national Park and Ķemeri National Park, a part of Ziemelvidzeme (northern part of Vidzeme) biosphere reserve, many nature reserves (the stony seaside of Vidzeme, Randu meadows, Lielie Kangari (The Great Kangari), The Lake Babite, Cenas moorland, etc.), nature parks (Salaca valley, Beberbeki and Dole Island, The Blue Hills of Ogre, etc.), areas of protected landscapes (Ādaži) and other natural monuments. After the ratification of the Ramsar convention the law states that the territories of the Lake Engure and the Lake Kanieris are included in the list of internationally important wetlands.

The city of Riga is unique because its territory has five nature reserves of national importance: Daugavgriva, Vecdaugava, Jaunciems, Kremeri, Vakarbulli and Piejura nature rezerves. In these territories more than 25 species of protected plants have been found near the populated areas.

Natural complexes of the seaside, the lower reaches and mouth of big rivers and of the Salaca River, the seaside lakes and wetlands, wide forests and white sand beaches of 200 km in length, as well as interrelation of rural and urban territories create a rich mosaic of nature and cultural landscapes.

Apart from SPNA, the whole natural landscape is important, because it forms the cultural landscape – the result of natural and human made interaction. Depending on the character and amount of the economic activity the usual rural environment appears, with which we relate a particular territory or place. Here the forests play important role, they form almost a half of the region’s territory and might be considered as national value. Of special importance they were in Pieriga, where they serve as the „lungs” of the city and the recreation territory.

It is crucial to maintain the quality of the mosaic landscape where the forest areas are taken over by the agricultural territories. It is an important resource for the development of tourism and recreation. The resources of entrails of the earth in Riga region can be limited to the industrial use, but it has great potential of the use for the development of service sector.

However, the environment is constantly changing. The rapid development of the territory creates contradictions – there is need of economically beneficial territories for the development of economy, living and other functions in the surrounding areas of the city, near the roads, sea and banks of other waters, forest parks and forest territories, which increase the load on the surrounding environment, and as a result it contradicts with the goal of territorial development. The changed, or in worst cases, degradated territories lose their attractiveness, biological and economic value. The task of the territorial planning is to deal with these contradictions.

Traditionally the problematic territories of the Baltic Sea in Riga planning Rrgion are the Gulf of Riga, Riga, Jūrmala and Olaine. The environment pollution in these areas was mostly related to the chemical production of cellulose and concentration of other industrial productions and the use of low quality manufacturing and purifying technologies.

Nevertheless, in recent years new environmental problems have become topical – the influence of transport on the environment increases, especially on the air quality, the amount of waste also rises, other problems have appeared, such as the rapid spread of hazardous chemical compounds. Inhabitants have more allergic illnesses. Gradually some territorially marked problematic areas start appearing, including the protection area of seaside dunes of the Gulf of Riga, territories around lakes situated near Riga and river protective zones. In accordance with the requirements of the legislation of Latvia a noise map and action plan have to be elaborated. There is lack of information, which could be used operatively, about the quality of bathing waters in the interior bathing places.

Environment is the common value of all the people of the region, which requires long-term actions and planning.

In the market economy there are factors which determine the more radical differences in people’s income than the factors which existed in the command economy, thus causing stratification according to income level. In this process the preconditions for success are caused no only by the person’s qualification and personal traits, but also his/her place of residence and work – urban or rural municipalities – the development direction, activity and potential.

Riga planning region has excellent geographical position which together with historically formed infrastructure is essential advantage in the national and the Baltic Sea region’s context. The region has easy Access to the markets of Russia and other CIS countries, as well as of the EU country resources and consumption. Its situation is centric in the space of all three Baltic countries. Riga with its business and cultural potential serves as the driving force for the development of a wide territory. The third part of Latvia’s population lives in Riga, its companies produce almost 60% of the total industrial production. As regards socioeconomic figures, Riga region is superior to the rest of Latvia’s regions. For example, Riga planning region is the only one with positive development index, the Gross Domestic Product on one inhabitant in the Region of Riga is three times superior than in Latgale, at the same time, it falls behind in comparison to other developed regions in Europe.

In 1990s economic restructurisation took place, which changed the proportion of the economic spheres, by decreasing the proportion of industrial spheres, especially industry, thus the importance of service sphere increased. 70% of the employed population of the region work in the sphere of services (tourism, trade, education, state administration institutions, etc.). Riga concentrates 85% of all work places in the region of Riga. In rural areas the traditional spheres are of big importance – agriculture, forestry and in the seaside areas – fishery. Nowadays the competitiveness of the region’s business environment is determined by the accessibility of work force and its quality, the access to the region, the level of investigation and innovation, legal and institutional basis (including tax policy). The successful use of the combination o fall these factors might become the ground for the prosperity of the region.

In recent years the structure of territorial placement of economy has changed – the territories with beneficial placement develop faster. Historically better preconditions for the development of the competitive national economy in the market conditions have formed in the nucleus of Riga region. Significant differences between the nucleus of Riga region and remote areas appear in the very region – territorially, as well as in the social sphere, regarding the people’s income, business, work possibilities, which might be seen in the contributions to the municipal financial cohesion fund and municipal subsidies. Larger payers are situated in the centre of the region, whereas the larger receivers of the subsidies – in the remote areas.

The capital city and the Pieriga territory are able to be more flexible and to react to changes and adapt to the market needs, as well as to acquire investment. Riga’s role as the promoter of the development is weak in the remote territories. Administration of many municipalities underestimates its role and possibilities for promoting the extension of labour market.

Increasing the work force mobility, people seek and find work places in the centre, where the choice is bigger and the salary is higher, which thus increase the demand for dwelling places.

A disproportion appears between the increasing demand for dwelling places and inhabitants’ low solvency – there is a dramatic lack of rent houses at prices acceptable for less prosperous part of the population. There is distortion of prices of dwelling places – they do not conform to the quality – considerably exceeding the quality in the nucleus of the region, but not reaching the objective value in rural areas. As a result there is demand for dwelling places in the surrounding parishes of Riga within the reach of work places.

In Pieriga, especially closer to Riga, intensive chaotic construction of new dwelling places has emerged, but very often without engineering infrastructure and institutions of social services and site development, by ignoring the principle of balanced development.

Thus these dwelling places emerge without work opportunities, increasing the pendulum migration, unnecessary transport flow, load and environmental pollution. Keeping the same course, Riga region might lose the possible reserves for the development of infrastructure serving the territories of Riga and the existing spatial advantages – relatively balanced proportion of constructed areas and green territories in Pieriga and considerably good suburb-city access by the public transport.

In last decade the structure of transport has changed – the importance of the road and private transport has increased, by leaving behind railway and public transport. This tendency cannot be supported in the future.

As the result of the various development processes several problematic issues appear – traffic jams in Riga, city expansion by merging with populated areas in Pieriga, the decrease of socially important natural areas un of their quality, social and territorial differentiation of distribution of population. All these issues call for solution in nearest future.