Skopje’s urban green transformation — 5 brand new public squares!
Less concrete, more greenery and inclusivity!
Let us tell you a story about how we made this happen. Not long ago in 2018 one concerned citizen from Skopje came up with a great idea of bringing to life a couple of Skopje’s public spaces and Skopje Lab’s team was more than pleased to accept the challenge for a great urban green transformation.
For more than a decade this has been an essential transformation process that the citizens of Skopje need.
The trend of migration from any environment to urban areas is increasing rapidly, especially in the capital Skopje. Proportionally the construction trend developed in the last 15 years but also has “eaten away” as much as 50% of the existing greenery. In the past years, residents of the capital have witnessed extensive and radical changes in urbanism and architecture, especially in public spaces in their communities. Most often, these changes are at the expense of the urban green areas. Several small parks between the city blocks in several Skopje municipalities turned into building plots, which replaced the trees with administrative, commercial, or residential concrete blocks.
The rapid urbanisation brought on the need for green recovery and we were here to help!
In order to find an answer to this challenge, in August 2018, Skopje Lab launched a Design Challenge: “Rethink and Redesign green public areas in the city of Skopje”. Through a co-design process with citizens and interested partners, this initiative aimed to come up with concepts that will fulfill the citizens’ needs and reflect their lifestyle.
And so the exciting and challenging journey started…
At the very beginning, we had a list of 24 locations across Skopje that had the potential to become part of the green transformation. After careful review of the proposed locations and checks to ensure they will all stay green in the next 10 to 15 years, 12 out of 24 spaces moved forward into the process of redesign.
Practicing Skopje Lab’s leading principle — always understanding the importance of bringing the citizens and their needs to the center of the solution — the team took off for ethnographic research to more deeply understand citizens’ needs about that space, their behaviour, lifestyles, etc.
Through questionnaires to assess public opinion and conducting field research, Skopje Lab succeeded in interviewing more than a hundred people and collecting more than 150 online ideas for the redesign of these public spaces.
What have we come to achieve in the first phase?
- Developed concepts for public space redesign.
- Designed visualizations for 9 public spaces.
- Developed detailed project concepts for 4 public spaces.
- Developed a full architectural solution for 1 additional public space — kids’ playground area with the support of a team of 2 architects.
- Identified several potential partners from the private sector that would like to join the initiative and support the implementation of the redesign of the public spaces.
Moreover, through the research, Skopje Lab gathered many ideas for future greening of the city, ideas for sustainable models for public space maintenance, as well as more than 70 ideas for locations that need a redesign.
The second and third phases — the implementation process and the results!
Our very first finished #Redesign project was publicly launched in December 2020. The green square is located on the corner between the main boulevard “Ilindenska” and st. “Nikola Tesla” in the municipality of Karposh.
This urban area is characterized by a large number of residential buildings, where mostly young professionals and young married couples with children live. This was a beautiful green area but it didn’t provide significant experiences for the locals.
The installed equipment is intended for entertainment and animation of the youngest, but the park is also for the residents (parents) who live in this area.
You can find more details about this project here.
At the beginning of March 2021, we launched the first green square in the municipality of Aerodrom which is located next to the main boulevard “Jane Sandanski’’, one of the busiest boulevards in the city, opposite the Ramstore market and the branch of Stopanska Banka.
The area is characterized mainly by buildings, without many free green areas between building blocks. There are several companies, banks, bars, and restaurants in the area. The people living here are mostly families with teenagers, students, and retirees. Nearby there is a bus stop that is often used, especially by students and seniors.
By installing equipment intended for entertainment and recreation, the park is in function of the residents and employees who live or work in this part.
You can find more details about this project here.
In May 2021 “Idadija” Polyclinic green square and kids’ park was opened. This park is located in the area known as “Mlin Balkan’’ in front of and behind the ambulance next to Vero market in Centar Municipality.
On the subject plot, there was already a park area but the whole space was deserted and more intervention was needed to arrange the park. Concrete surfaces from underground installations appeared in the green area behind the ambulance, as well as an area in which underground fuel oil tanks were located.
Respecting the needs of the residents of this area, as well as visitors and patients, the investor sought to enrich the content in order to make better use of space.
You can find more details about this project here.
Later in May 2021 was opened the public park area which is located between the boulevard “Metropolitan Theodosius Gologanov” and the fire brigade which is in a building in a row with a business residential building.
There was already a park area on the subject plot. Apart from a few candelabras in the park, there was no urban equipment worth renewing. A small segment in front of the entrance of the fire brigade was enriched with a small fountain, embedded in a rock garden. In front of the entrance of the market, there is a large willow tree, under whose branches on the old benches the employees were gathering for a break, as well as the passers-by and the tenants.
Respecting the needs of the inhabitants of this area, the investor sought to enrich the content of this part, in order to actively use the space. By installing equipment intended for entertainment, the park is used by the residents.
After a small survey conducted in the surrounding buildings, it was found that part of the equipment for the youngest will be intended for people with disabilities. The goal was to create a space where children with disabilities can exchange contacts with other children with and without disabilities. For that purpose, combined equipment is provided that can be used by all children with elements for increased safety of children with special needs. For other residents, as well as employees in neighboring buildings, benches and rest tables were set up. Enriching the fund of plants with indigenous dendroflora will achieve better isolation of the space in relation to the boulevard.
You can find more details about this project here.
After the first followed the second public green square in Aerodrom municipality which is the last implemented project from #Redesign. This public park area is located next to the confectionery “Palma” on the corner of the intersection between the boulevard “Jane Sandanski” and the street “Vladimir Komarov” in Aerodrom municipality.
A park area was already on the subject location. Near the square, there are several residential blocks with office space on the ground floor and mezzanine areas. According to the requirements of the surrounding population, it was necessary to install a modern gazebo, additional greenery, elements for rest and entertainment as well as elements for parking bicycles.
By installing equipment intended for leisure and entertainment, most of the users of the space are the tenants of the apartment blocks, but also the employees in the business premises, as well as passers-by.
You can find more details about this project here.
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If you have any ideas or suggestions for our future work on the topic — #Redesign on public spaces, please send your proposals to skopjelab@skopje.gov.mk
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