A SLOW CITY: RETHINKING FERIZAJ'S INFRASTRUCTURES, LANDSCAPES & URBANISM

A Slow City is a visionary "research by design" project that addresses the pressing urban challenges faced by rapidly urbanizing Balkan cities, focusing particularly on Ferizaj. The region grapples with issues stemming from rapid urbanism, including peripheries, large infrastructures, abandoned landscapes, and sprawl. This project, guided by cittaslow principles, proposes resilient scenarios to foster environmental justice, soft mobility, sustainable design, circular economy, heritage preservation, and social integration.

The project introduces three key "what if" scenarios, each shaping Ferizaj's concept as a slow city:

• What if water defines growth? Envisioning nature as the defining factor for growth, allowing integration or barriers to protect the city's environment.
• What if tram revives the city? Introducing a sustainable mobility system to revive the city and encourage public transport.
• What if the edges gain a new identity? Imagining rural-urban integration and innovative approaches to counter speed growth, fostering circular economy practices and social integration with the landscape.

The strategies are tested in three zoom-in areas - City Centre, Green-Edge, and Agri-Edge - gauging their effectiveness across various scales. City Centre and Green-Edge prioritize slow urbanism and landscape philosophies, emphasizing sustainability and social well-being. In contrast, Agri-Edge aims to be more ambitious in terms of imagining a new way of perceiving city peripheries and rural-urban relations that are usually considered the ugly side of cities. It takes a bold approach, envisioning transformative city peripheries as sustainable urban villages, promoting social integration, agriculture, and circular economy practices.

This project aspires to shape a balanced and sustainable urban future, reimagining Ferizaj and other cities as places that embrace their natural heritage while fostering social cohesion and environmental well-being.

In the context of post-war transformations in Eastern European cities, particularly Ferizaj, the project also challenges the prevailing fast urbanism paradigm. Departing from car-centric development, it aligns with contemporary urban theories advocating for alternative models inspired by the slow food movement. A Slow City not only engages with historical layers of urban development but also addresses the profound impact of post-war trauma on cities and their heritage.

Moreover, the project resonates with the idea of the 15-minute city, envisioning localized urbanism where residents can meet their needs within a short travel time. It aligns with futurist notions of urbanism, offering a forward-thinking perspective on balancing tradition, futurism, and 15-minute city concepts. By connecting these contemporary ideas, A Slow City contributes to the discourse on redefining urban growth in post-war Balkan cities, embodying a harmonious blend of tradition, futurism, and heritage preservation.