Planning for greener and more resilient public spaces in Kosovo
Cities can become greener, safer, and better prepared for climate change all at once. In Kosovo, this starts with linking urban planning to disaster risk management.
Through a coordinated planning process, partner municipalities are developing public spaces that not only improve everyday life for citizens but also strengthen resilience against future climate-related risks. As the Public Space Masterplans and Disaster Risk Assessments for Prizren, Gjakova/Đakovica, and Gjilan/Gnjilane near completion, partner municipalities and consulting teams met to align their work, exchange key findings, and prepare for the next phase of integrated, climate-resilient urban planning.
The significance behind the processes
The Public Space Masterplans and Disaster Risk Assessments provide municipalities with a shared framework for planning urban spaces that are greener, safer, and more resilient. While the masterplans identify opportunities to improve the quality, accessibility, and connectivity of public spaces, the disaster risk assessments help municipalities better understand climate-related hazards and urban vulnerabilities.
Together, they support informed planning that integrates climate resilience into future urban investments.
Public spaces play an increasingly important role in addressing climate challenges. The proposed nature-based solutions respond to local risks such as flooding, stormwater management, urban heat, and limited green infrastructure, while creating healthier, more functional, and inclusive spaces for communities.
A key milestone of the process was the collaboration between the three partner municipalities and the two consulting teams. By bringing together urban planners and disaster risk experts for the first time, the workshop created a common platform to align priorities, exchange knowledge, and coordinate the next phase of implementation.
As the strategic planning phase nears completion, schematic and detailed designs for priority intervention sites will begin preparing. These site-specific solutions will translate the findings of both planning processes into practical investments that strengthen climate resilience and improve the quality of public spaces.
Another important milestone of the process was the active involvement of citizens, civil society organizations, and other local stakeholders through a co-design process carried out as part of the Public Space Masterplan development. Community workshops were organized in Prizren, Gjakova/Đakovica, and Gjilan/Gnjilane, focusing on selected public spaces where participants identified local needs, challenges, and opportunities, while proposing ideas and practical solutions for their future development.
The outcomes of this participatory process will inform the preparation of three additional schematic design projects, which will be incorporated into the
Public Space Masterplans. These projects complement the three priority intervention sites that are expected to be implemented through German- and Swiss-funded investments in the near future.
By including these additional site-specific concepts in the Masterplans, municipalities will have a pipeline of conceptually prepared projects that can be used to mobilize future funding and translate long-term planning into concrete investments that improve the quality, resilience, and inclusiveness of public spaces.
Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports municipalities in advancing climate-sensitive, resilient and inclusive urban development.
