The development and implementation of capital investment projects is an important component of the Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme. Following the experience with demo projects prepared and implemented together with partner municipalities, the current round of projects was also drafted in a participatory manner, in close cooperation with various stakeholders.

Three categories of project proposals were presented to the panel composed of representatives of Sida, CHwB and MESP. The first category comprised completed project proposals, which are ready to be advertised for the tender, in the second one, there were projects for which the pre feasibility study has been completed and in the third group, there were projects which are at the stage of project concepts.

Two projects from the municipality of Mitrovica, Meto Bajraktari School access and Lushta river green corridor were qualified to the first category. The second category included the Prizren project, for the revitalization of Farkatarëve Street. The project was presented by two municipal officers, from the directorate of Public services and Urbanism and Spatial Planning. The Ferizaj/Urosevac and Gjilan/Gnjilane teams presented the concept of the projects, which are in principal conceptual submissions and require inputs from specialist studies. The FerizajUrosevac project is focuses on the protection of spot areas against flooding. The one submitted by Gjilan/Gnilane’s focuses on the mitigation of construction risks due to earthquakes. The project will include construction reinforcement works in a selected school building to reduce safety risks.

Capital Investment projects will be co-funded by UN-HABITAT MuSP Programme and the respective municipality.

For more Information on these projects, see the project description:

Revitalizing Farkatarëve Street

UN-HABITAT and the Municipality of Prizren have team up to deliver a capital investment project within the Historic zone of Prizren. The project will be a small step towards implementing the Conservation Development Plan of the Historic Zone of Prizren, in other words translating some of the plan’s strategies into experiences for the citizens of Prizren.

The overarching objective is to deliver a tangible exemplar project co-funded by the both parties, through a series of interventions to create pleasant conditions for pedestrian flow within a heritage precinct using a range of participatory planning technique, innovative design standards and project management techniques. To be more specific the project will integrate the historic core in Prizren (Shadervan) with Farkatarëve Street as a key mobility line with the historic core. See location of project area below.

In Kosovo, Prizren is referred to as “the jewel of Kosovo” due to its cultural heritage attributes. However these attributes/items are spread within the historic zone thus accessibility and connection between the items is important.  Hence, this project intends to further accentuate the city’s heritage values as well as enhancing quality of life of the urban population and contributing to sustainable development in Prizren

Further, the project will also connect the heritage items within the project area; by upgrade the public spaces at an appropriate context to ensure usability for all. The main feature of the project is to pedestrians the street, introduce appropriate surface materials that will provide full accessibility to all, and ensure unimpaired pedestrian flow between Farkatarëve Street and Shadervan. The intervention will also improve lighting and signage to direct the pedestrian flow, to better experience the Historic Zone of Prizren. 

The project feasibility has just been completed and it’s been welcomed by both UNHABITAT and the Municipality of Prizren, resident along Farkatarëve Street, local businesses as well as civil society.  The next step is to develop project to full tender drawings and documentations with view implement the project in 2010.   

Meto Bajraktari School access

The Meto Bajraktari School access project is the result of a participatory planning process conducted over the last year, involving all elements of the school community, public stakeholders, and residents, among which the NGO Handikos.

The design work was carried in Spring and Summer and was presented to the panel for final approval.  The traffic calming measures include, for the first time in Mitrovica, the raising of the entire surface of a busy crossroads to the level of the sidewalks (plateau), as to give priority and safety to pedestrians.  The project also improves an alternative access path by improving its paving, lighting and surroundings.

The panel valued the strong community involvement in the application of generic and transferable solutions.  All designs being elaborated in detail, the project now can proceed to implementation.  This will not be the end of the project which will have to be monitored and possibly amended and extended as part of a long term participatory approach to the improvement of the school and neighborhood environment.

Lushta river green corridor

Green corridors along the city's three rivers are the Municipal Development Plan's most significant feature for improvement of the city's green (and blue) infrastructure.  The project presented to the panel aims at improving connections of the Lushta river with the city's street and pedestrian network in three locations, as to enhance the functional value of the Lushta river as soon as possible. This will in turn strengthen public support for the rehabilitation of the Lushta river itself, i.e. the construction of a sewage collector on the whole length of the river and set the ground for further urban design and environment improvements.

The panel appreciated the multi-dimensional character of the project that will create practical short term benefits, also in connection with previous MuSPP projects at the Fehmi

dhe Xhevë Lladrovci

 (ex Solana) park and the Meto Bajraktari school, while starting the process of the implementation of the complex and ambitious green corridor project.

The next steps for this project are the elaboration of detailed plans for the three locations identified, among which the crossroad of the Teuta avenue and Selaci street.  In parallel, the project team begins preparations for the redesign of the entire Lushta river banks from that crossroads until the Podgorica magistrale and beyond.  Both will be presented to a next panel meeting.