Project initiation and agreements between the parties

On March 28, 2019, EC Ma Ndryshe signed a Cooperation Agreement with UN-HABITAT based in Nairobi (Kenya) on the implementation of the rePUBLIC SPACES project. This project would be implemented in Prizren, Kosovo.

The overall objective of this project was to promote safe, inclusive and accessible public spaces in Prizren through policy dialogue, projects designed and demonstrated by the community, aimed at improving the living conditions of residents and disadvantaged communities. The project would be conducted by EC Ma Ndryshe through the participatory methodology of urban planning together with the internationally known virtual game MineCraft from Block by Block Foundation.

For the implementation of the project, on April 19, 2019 was also signed the Cooperation Agreement between the Municipality of Prizren represented by the Mayor Mr. Mytaher Haskuka and EC Ma Ndryshe represented by the Executive Director Mr. Valon Xhabali. The cooperation agreement, in addition to the general principles of mutual cooperation and the obligations of the parties, has included the identification and selection of 5 public spaces for which the urban design would be drafted but also the terms of co-financing of capital investment after the design process is completed.

Inclusive Workshops and Minecraft

EC Ma Ndryshe, within the project, as a first step held two-day workshops on 27 and 28 April and 18 and 19 May 2019 for selected public spaces in the neighbourhoods of Bazhdarhane, Dardania, Lakuriq and Ortakoll in Prizren. All interested residents have been invited to the workshop through advertisements in the neighbourhood but also via social media channels. In particular, participants and groups of parents with children, friends, women and girls, teachers with students, young or experienced professionals, etc. were encouraged to participate in the workshops.

During the workshops, the participants initially met in the field at the respective public spaces where discussions began on the issues that those spaces have. The participants through fruitful presentations and debates then continued the work where potential solutions to the identified problems were proposed. As part of the workshops, project experts and facilitators held a short training on the Minecraft game too. In the models built into the virtual game Minecraft participants have placed physical models of urban solutions for their neighbourhood public spaces.

The workshops were concluded with joint debates and discussions about the prioritization of functions and elements that should be present in the final design of public spaces.

Public space design and final consultations

After the workshops were organized, the project team carried the Minecraft models into the preliminary design of the identified spaces. All the first drafts of the projects were consulted with the participants of the workshops where they also gave their suggestions and recommendations for the final design of the identified spaces.

During the additional consultation process, for the two spaces identified in the Lakuriq neighbourhood, the residents insisted that those spaces should not be very noisy and should not include many activities. In this way investments in those two spaces would be reduced and would be only in the maintenance of greenery and cleaning of spaces. During these meetings, another new space was proposed, which was reached as a consensus with residents and would meet the conditions for a new park in the Lakuriq neighborhood.

As a result of this process, instead of designing 5 public spaces, the project team has completed the design of 6 public spaces in Lakuriq, Bazhdarhane, Dardania and Ortakoll neighbourhoods. The project, beside the inclusive process, has produced the detailed design projects for all the aforementioned spaces and was approved by the residents of the neighbourhoods for the needed investments in these spaces. After drafting the projects, partial investment in the identified spaces was planned.

After drafting the Bill of Quantities for the 6 designed spaces, most of them resulted in high investment costs as the identified spaces had great investment needs based on the demands of the residents.

In December 2019, the Municipality of Prizren and EC Ma Ndryshe amended the initial agreement, where in 2020, parties have agreed to work in the three areas of Lakuriq neighbourhood with the main focus on the complete construction of the new park. Since the other three projects have already been finalized, the Municipality of Prizren, respectively the Mayor Mr. Mytaher Haskuka has committed its will to continue with the same approach to invest in other spaces identified and designed through this project, in the neighbourhoods of Bazhdarhane, Dardania and Ortakoll.

To view the projects of Dardania, Bazhdarhane and Ortakoll neighborhoods click here.

Research of public spaces in Prizren

The global pandemic of COVID-19, both worldwide and in Kosovo, affected the almost total closure of the country but also the postponement of public construction works and various ongoing projects. Since construction work in the park of Lakuriq could not start, EC Ma Ndryshe, during this period began by respecting the health rules in force, has started the activities of research of public spaces in the city of Prizren. The research included 76 public spaces in the urban area of the city, half of which are located in the Historic Center of Prizren.

The research aimed to analyse the existing condition of all public spaces in the city included here the categories and functions of the spaces, urban elements and furniture as well as their access and usability. The research also provides conclusions and recommendations on how these spaces could increase the quality and be more usable by the residents of these places but also the frequent visitors / tourists of the city of Prizren.

For more info check research and infographics.

Construction of a new park in Lakuriq

Construction works in the new park of the Lakuriq neighbourhood have started on August 25 and ended on October 31, 2020. The new park was inaugurated in an atmosphere full of enthusiasm created by the children of the neighbourhood, where the host of the inauguration ceremony were the Mayor of Prizren Mr. Mytaher Haskuka, director of Public Services Department Mr. Osman Krasniqi and the executive director of EC Ma Ndryshe Mr. Valon Xhabali together with the project coordinator Mr. Enes Toska.

The design of the new park for the Lakuriq neighborhood was carried out by EC Ma Ndryshe through the urban planning methodology with the participation of the residents of the neighbourhood. The capital investment in the park, in the amount of $50,000, was co-financed between the Municipality of Prizren and EC Ma Ndryshe, respectively UN-HABITAT.

Within the park number of functions are built, such as: basketball and small football field (suitable also for tennis), pedestrian paths suitable for people with disabilities, children`s playground and drawings made by the children themselves, seats of various shapes and materials, chess table, public lighting, trash bins, bicycle parking space, car parking posts and landscaping, including planting trees and grass.

During the inauguration in the Lakuriq neighborhood, the mayor of Prizren, has stressed that this park "is a good example of how public spaces should be arranged and designed because the process from the beginning was based on consultations with the community and the project was carried out according to their requests too”.

The director of EC Ma Ndryshe, Mr. Xhabali, at the inauguration expressed his enthusiasm that "Prizren in 2021 can become a model for other cities where public spaces are at the service and use of the community."

Promotion and documentation of the project process

Within the project, a documentary was produced that documents the entire work process of the project as well as a short promo video about public spaces.

HAPUKS Public spaces platform - Kosovo

Another important result that will affect the sustainability of the project is building the public space platform HAPUKS (hapuks.com). This platform aims to reflect the state of public spaces in the cities of Kosovo, starting in 2020 with those of the city of Prizren. The platform has an interactive map where you can navigate the identified public spaces but also other information such as infographics, projects and the category of multimedia with additional literature.

The platform is open to be updated by the audience, community or interested professionals.