The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October as World Habitat Day.This day is celebrated annually in cities around the world since 1986. The World Habitat Day 2009 was held under the motto ‘Planning our urban future’ which incorporates participatory and inclusive approach as key principles of contemporary spatial planning. The main celebrations took place in Washington DC, USA.

This year, the celebration of World Habitat Day in Kosovo took place in Junik. Junik, is a small municipality in South-Western part of Kosovo. It is known for its picturesque location, traditional kullas and the highest mountain peak in Kosovo (Gjeravica 2656 m). The organizers: MUSPP team, Junik Municipality and CHwB focused on attracting the young and getting their ideas about the future. The celebrations included two independent events:  a drawing competition in the “Edmond Hoxha” primary school and an essay-writing contest in the “Kuvendi i Arbërit”, high school under the theme “How do you see Junik in 15 years”.

In order to protect existing cultural heritage, the municipality embarked on the ambitious task of drafting local development plans which would also protect cultural heritage and create conditions for local economic development.  Junik Municipality has already approved Urban Development Plan (UDP) and city centre Urban Regulatory Plan (URP). Following the guidelines set by Law on Spatial Planning and the priorities of the municipality, the Directorate of Urban Planning, Cadastre and Environment Protection (DUPCEP) with support of MuSPP team and in cooperation and Cultural Heritage without Borders (CHwB) was initiated drafting the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) for Junik.

The World Habitat Day in Junik provided an opportunity for young people to engage in the debate about the future of their municipality. The exercise resulted in numerous essays and drawing. The authors of the best drawing and essays received awards and the ideas presented by the children and youth of Junik will contribute to the vision of the MDP for Junik and encourage further participation in planning local development.