The capital, that is, what was built until today according to the detailed urban plans (DUP) from 2007, overtook the Draft Amendments and Supplements (ID) of the Spatial Urban Plan (PUP) of Kolašin, which has been awaited for almost four years.
Architect Sonja Radović Jelovac, Ph.D., assessed this for "Vijesti" and clarified that it led to an obvious imbalance in the space - that right next to the "four-story family house, six-story buildings are sprouting."
She was the head of the working team in charge of drafting the ID PUP, and after more than 30 days of public discussion on that document, she says that the impression is that the vast majority of citizens are only interested in building on their own plots, and that they are almost without interest in the chapter that relates on ecosystem services and valorization of the "green" fund.
The interlocutor suggests reconsidering the strategic decisions for Kolašin:
"I am surprised that there are so many citizens who, supposedly, want to engage in tourism and to valorize their real estate in the fastest way. Most of the requests of that kind were related to the zones that we have foreseen for the green belt and I think that this is now a real challenge for the planners and the relevant Ministry. I cannot say how this challenge will be solved, I believe that there is a way to meet it, in a moderate way, with very restrictive measures and controlled guidelines. It's a big shame that this Draft did not experience that public debate a few years ago, because they would have had a different picture, now the needs are getting bigger and bigger, the city's construction land is getting more expensive".
And the planners, when creating the ID PUP, she recalls, had a precise programmatic task, which, among other things, included a review of the capacities of the existing DUPs, above all Centar, Breza and Smailagića Polje, in which "an intense scolding took place ".
Uncontrolled construction
According to Radović Jelovac, that construction could not be controlled, because it was carried out according to DUPs from 15 years ago, given that no new DUPs were followed after the PUP from 2014.
"One of the big challenges that needs to be solved at higher levels, within the expert team and the involvement of the expert public, is to see what the remedial measures are for what was built according to those old DUPs. We have a rush of capital, and the plan, which we are working on in parallel, actually reduces all those capacities in the neighboring zones of already realized facilities. So we think that is the most difficult task. The plan reduced the construction of DUPs from 2007, and this is not a business barrier, but a moderate and appropriate construction, when it comes to indexes of construction, occupancy and floor heights".
He explains that the ID of the PUP is a planned four-story building in the center, and a reduction in floor height from the center to the periphery. She claims that the number of users, parking spaces, green areas on the plot, sidewalks, rows of trees were taken into account... Construction indices are not proposed according to DUPs and plots, but according to zones, explains the architect. It is planned, he says, to "densify" the city center, while taking care of the inner city core and cultural assets. The planning decision, he reminds, is the scenario from the PUP of 2014, which means moderate sustainable development, without mass tourism.
"By making changes and additions for three or four years, we lost our strategic commitment, where we are today. We are changing the plan, which fundamentally needs to reconsider its strategic commitments. All strategic decisions must come from the top, a national strategy for the development of Kolašin should be made in the context of new changes that are alive, it is necessary to integrate them. Slovenia had a similar situation, but in that country it is not possible to see 'visual pollution' at every step. In Slovenia, I was fascinated by the fact that you can pass through five municipalities without any so-called interruption of the landscape".
Careful in the city center
Considering that the center of the city, reminds Radović Jelovac, represents a particularly characteristic whole, with objects (cultural assets) of national importance, and is characterized as an area where more significant and complex construction is to come, a careful planning approach is needed. All with the aim, he explains, of preserving the identity and spatial values of that part of Kolašin.
The mechanisms that can be implemented for the controlled construction of that part of the city while the ID PUP Kolašin is being prepared can be, as he says, the controlled issuance of urban planning and technical conditions (UTU) for that zone of the city and the controlled issuance of consent to conceptual solutions by the main city and state architects.
The innovative Draft ID of the Kolašin PUP introduces the Ecosystem Services chapter. The interlocutor of "Vijesti" explains that through that chapter, sustainable planning was presented and emphasis was placed on the green and blue infrastructure of the city as a resource.
"The entire chapter refers to eco-system services, and in general the valorization of the 'green' fund, which Kolašin has. A team of three or four landscape architects participated, and with certain suggestions we received from the Ministry, we boldly came up with the proposal that Kolašin should preserve that 'green ring'. It mostly refers to Bašanje brdo, Radigojno, Barutana and the entire stretch along the Tara River. The goal is to preserve the landscape by which Kolašin is recognizable".
The architect also believes that it is a wrong thesis to insist that the ideal position for construction is from Kolašin to the ski resort. He reminds that the study for the PUP from 2014 was done by a group of Italian students and that the goal was to "preserve the corridor from the city to the ski resort".
"The bottom line is that the intensified construction that has already taken place cannot be spread over the entire municipality, and I was surprised that there are so many requests and there are no selections as to whether that space is adequate. I was also surprised that there is not much awareness about whether that area is valuable as a natural asset, nor is it taken into account whether it is, for example, the river valley, the border area with the National Park", she says, looking back on the initiatives she was involved in. to hear during individual consultations with citizens about the PUP ID.
With that document, he explains, solutions were also given for the bypass, which should solve the pressing current traffic problems, that is, connect the road Mateševo - Kolašin with the ski resorts and the regional road to Berane. Areas that are not covered by DUPs were also treated, in order, explains the architect, to enable the locals living in that area to receive guidelines for the construction of their family or agribusiness facilities.
"A significant role in the revitalization of the village and its cultural and tourist valorization will be played by the preservation of traditional folk architecture and the protection of architectural heritage and the architectural expression of traditional construction. The plan envisages the possibility of directly issuing conditions from the plan for the reconstruction of existing and construction of new buildings in the zones of existing rural settlements and katuns, as well as in zones that are outside the protective corridors".
She reminds that the public debate on the Draft ID of the PUP will last until the end of July. In the meantime, as he says, several days of individual consultations were held with citizens, one public central discussion, as well as sessions, which related to certain areas.
The next central public hearing is scheduled for July 10.
Traffic caused a lot of attention
The workshop on traffic, i.e. the solutions that were given to the ID PUP for that area, attracted a lot of attention from Kolašinac, and Radović Jelovac says that it was marked by three hot topics - the bypass that represents the continuation of the regional road Mateševo - Kolašin towards Jezerine, traffic at a standstill , i.e. the lack of parking spaces and the traffic network of secondary roads.
"The topic of the bypass led to a division of opinion, so a group of citizens expressed concern, specifically those whose properties were in direct contact with the bypass route. Others, on the other hand, believed that this type of traffic directs movement outside the city center and relieves it of pressure in the form of displacement of a large number of vehicles, especially trucks and heavy goods vehicles. Also, some citizens expressed concern about the economic justification of the bypass route, as well as the future economic development of the city. The most concern is expressed in the possible future tour of tourists who will not pass directly through the city, but will have a fluidity of movement to and from the ski center without stopping and visiting the city core".
According to her, one of the key issues is idle traffic. Citizens, he recalls, expressed their desire for a larger number of parking spaces in the center of Kolašin, wanting the formation of an underground garage under the two main city squares.
"The infrastructure of the future gondola and the connection of the ski center with the city center were covered by special thematic processing. Part of the citizens pointed to the relocation of the gondola turning point from the position of Ski Center Kolašin 1450 to Kolašin 1600, which would enable ease of communication for future skiers. A large number of remarks were addressed to the local self-government, and they are related to the illegal parking of cars and the occupation of sidewalks for pedestrians, as well as the arrogant behavior of investors".
He announces that "in the coming period, the planning team will have the task of reviewing the justification of the planned bypass, considering the transit that will be opened by the second section of the highway, as well as to give concrete locations for parking areas in accordance with the requirements of the local self-government".
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