- Re-Creating Cities in Kosovo    click here to open paper content312 kb
by    D’hondt, Frank | dhondt@un.org   click here to send an email to the auther(s) of this paper
Short Outline
The paper presents an innovative capacity building programme for local urban planners in six secondary cities in Kosovo. The aim is to assist the local planners in their fight against the disintegrating urban forces.
Abstract
Since the military conflict ended in 1999, Kosovo has been facing an unprecedented construction boom and growth of urban areas caused by population’s migrations in search of employment and better living conditions. However, Kosovan cities are not prepared for such an influx of population and development activities, which are often out of control of local governments. Larger municipalities are particularly affected by the lack of spatial and urban development planning. This leads to chaotic growth, pressure on limited capacities of municipal infrastructure and services, congested inner-city traffic, illegal constructions, informal settlements, low public engagement resulting from the lack of proper cooperation framework between local governments and civil society. The paper will present a special UN-HABITAT Programme which is designed to address the specific needs of the six secondary cities of Kosovo for drafting and implementing strategic spatial plans. The Programme is currently implemented by a team of an international urban advisor and a Kosovan planner placed in each of the six selected municipalities. It will focus on intensive on-the-job assistance combined with technical support training programmes and facilitation of public consultations, as well as support for pilot projects. It will be supported by a team of long- and short–term international consultants working on specific thematic issues and a mobile team of local experts. Practitioners’ experience sharing and networking with European planning institutions as well as rooting the Programme within a broader regional and European context will also be promoted as a means to strengthen capacity of municipal planners. The paper will reflect on the state of the art of the programme, and will raise some ‘learning points’ for similar cases.
Keywords
click here to open paper content  Click to open the full paper as pdf document
click here to send an email to the auther(s) of this paper  Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper