A safe city is a just citywas the theme of this year World Habitat day, chosen to raise awareness and encourage reflection on the mounting threats to urban safety and social justice.

Kosovo cities, as other cities all over the world, faces the challenges in crime prevention, disaster reduction, reduce high rate of unemployment and ensuring better liveable and safe living areas. The recognition by the Kosovo authorities, experts and the civil society representatives that urban planning and development has a crucial role in prevention of urban crime and violence, forced eviction and insecurity of tenure, as well as prevention of natural and human-made disasters was made obvious during activities organized on the occasion of the World Habitat Day, in the first of October 2007.

Activities include a public debate on topic “A safe city is a just city” in which representatives of municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane, KFOR, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, OSCE, representatives of Kosovo Police Service discussed on the safety in the city. The debate offered a possibility to more than hundred participants including children and their teachers to participate in the discussion and express their concerns on improvement of safety in general.

Fires, earthquakes, flooding, air pollution, crime and drugs, safety for handicap, informal settlements, houses and schools too close to main roads as main reason traffic accidents and danger, were some of the issues raised in this debate. The most interesting part was the contribution of the children in the debate through different means of expression concering safety by drawing, poems, and slogans. A better approach and cooperation between different departments of the municipality and other institutions was seen relevant to increase the safety in the future. This event included a short walk with the motto Safe walking from the school through the city center till the urbanism department building to draw attention and raise awareness to the public and the media.

In Gjakova/Djakovica, representatives of the local authorities, the Informal Council of Civil Society Organisation and MuSPP UN-HABITAT marked World Habitat Day with an event which included the ‘Walkabout in the City Park’ and Round Table Debate on ‘Translating Democracy into Good Governance from the Planning Perspective’. The events which were also related with the implementation of the demo project in Gjakova Djakovica, offer possibility to the various groups of participants including youth, officials, experts and representatives of civil society organizations to discuss on safety of public spaces with a focus on City Park and its potential multiple functions for various social and age groups. The results including inputs from the questionnaires which were distributed to the citizens asked on how they think the city park can be improved and the ones resulted from the round table meeting showed a great interest of citizen involvement in planning process and the implementation of the demo project. School students proposed to have open air cinema in the park, as an attractive recreational place for youngsters. They also proposed to celebrate World Habitat Day each year as Youth Day in Gjakova Djakovica. It is worth mentioning also the promise of the CEO on his commitment to support each initiative that comes from civil society and citizens.  

 “Being same time in two different places for the moment is impossible, but moving faster from one to another still remains a need and challenge!” This was stated in a consultation meeting of Mobility Stakeholder Group co organized by the local MuSPP team and Peja/Pec municipality on the occasion of the World Habitat day. Peja/Pec green and vital region had determined Municipal Mobility Policy as one of six priority areas of improvement for the future of the city. In that context, public transport especially urban transport network appears as a top priority. This was the main topic of discussion with Mobility Stakeholder Group on WHD held in Pejë/Pec on 1^st of October 2007. This group comprises members who represent Local government, Civil Society, Private Sector and community. Meeting was opened by CEO Mr. Shkëlzen Hyseni that addressed participants with occasional speech. It is worth mentioning CEO’s statement that better mobility in Peja/Pec can contribute to more safety on streets.  Arrival of the train, that occasionally happened the same day by inaugurating train line from the capital Prishtina/Pristina to Pejë/Pec and back, brings some hope but also some other challenges for improvement of mobility. Therefore, the idea of Mobility center and the draft proposal for urban transport network were presented to participants of the meeting.

First proposal belongs to the longer term investments and it considers moving of the actual bus station next to the railway station by creating a central node for mobility in the city. For the moment, both stations will operate in their original locations.  More important was the draft proposal for creating urban transport network that introduces 4 bus lines, central node in the old part of the city and interconnection with regional and inter-municipal bus lines. The proposal was combined with infrastructure solutions for “city gates” that are another important topic of mobility respectively traffic circulation. One of this “gates” needs immediate intervention because of crossing with railways. Proposal will be also one of topics of the forthcoming Conference on Mobility that will take place at the end of October 2007 in Prishtina. As promised before participants by CEO, a small working group will be established under decision by him self, that will consolidate the final proposal for further review in Board of Directors and approval in Municipal Assembly of Pejë/Pec of Urban Transport Network. “Pejë/Pec will be every day safer and just for its inhabitant’s” were concluding remarks of the meeting.

In Prizren disabled citizens and pupils had the opportunity to express their ideas on how they perceive current obstacles and challenges in the living environment and how they see the future developments in their city in regards to safety issues during a meeting co organised by MuSPP, Handikos and the municipality of Prizren . Participants divided in four working groups discussed their issues and come up with set of recommendations on safety matters which were different depend on the category of disabled. Street lights; adequate size of phone booths; sidewalks, parking places and ramps for the people with disabilities; elevators in the high buildings; family advice center; representation in municipality, employment opportunities etc are relevant to the people with physical disabilities. Deaf and mute participants raised issues including the violence to deaf-mute women, the lack of respect and care for this category of people and as a result they are faced with FEAR, the lack of transport for children from rural to urban area, difficulties in communication, the lack of institutional support, nonparticipation in decision making. Therefore it was recommended that institutional aid- support is needed, putting the traffic signals for deaf-mute people; implementation of the Law for the people with disabilities especially to be focused on Communication; conviction to people who frighten deaf-mute people; financial support for the faculty continuation for deaf-mute people, awareness rising of the society for this category of the people.

The meeting ended with hope that the raised issues will be taken into account in the municipal development plan which is in the preparation phase, and hope that concrete projects will be implemented to improve living environment of disabled.