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Books / Prishtina is Everywhere/ The New Prishtina
After NATO-led KFOR troops ended civil war in Kosovo (1999), an instant building boom changed the capital Prishtina dramatically. Within a few years its population doubled, partly as a consequence of an influx of returning refugees. Local investors profited, creating quick returns on ‘hit and run’ projects. On the fringes of the city ‘maverick urbanism’ had a different face: family clans invested family capital in large houses, built on farmland. The result was a random spread and development of the city, causing serious functional and structural problems for the future.
Prishtina is Everywhere describes, maps and analyzes the situation in Prishtina after 1999, documents problem-solving strategies, and discusses the significance of this kind of urban development for the way urban life evolves in crisis zones. The title hints at two phenomena: firstly, urban development of this type is typical for many post-conflict situations, and secondly, most of the construction in Prishtina has been financed by remittances from family members working abroad (one-fifth of Kosovo’s entire population lives abroad, specifically in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria).
This is the first of a series of investigations of urban development in post-conflict areas, initiated by Archis Interventions.
With contributions of Srdjan Jovanovic Weiss, Caroline Arnulf, Thilo Fuchs, Wilfried Hackenbroich, Irmgard Zerr, Florina Jerliu, Visar Geci, Ilir Gjinolli, Lilet Breddels, Arjen Oosterman.
http://archis.viewbook.com/prishtina_is_everywhere#/1/
After a reconnaissance and fact finding mission in November 2006 Archis Interventions developed an action plan that was presented at the Alpbach Forum 2007 [pdf]. This as a prelude to further action and research. The situation in Prishtina is typical of cities that find themselves in a period of upheaval after a conflict. Most of the time, there is a complete lack of public bodies with the capacity and jurisdiction to enforce laws. In addition, a lack of social self-regulation leaves the field wide open for uncontrolled forces that cause lasting damage to a city’s urban fabric. Moreover, there is always a profound crisis of confidence in the public dimension of urban life
Sustainable cities
"The car is like your mother-in-law. You have to have good relationship with her, but she can not command your life. So, when the only woman in your life is your mother-in-law, then you have a problem." - Jaime Lerner o trajnostnem razvoju mest in alternativah v prometnih sistemih.
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