SUSTAINABLE CITIES OF THE 21ST CENTURY – THE CASE OF SKOPJE

Abstract

The attractiveness of cities is the result of sustainable and integrated urban development, which comprises smart urban planning, sustainable public transport, quality and affordable housing, quality public services, clean air and water, green spaces, available job opportunities, and respect for and preservation of the past. Unfortunately, many people believe that the modern city is becoming less of a space that offers its residents a quality, safe, and comfortable life, and increasingly transforming into an environment that exerts various pressures on them, from economic, sociological, and ecological aspects. A simplified definition of a „sustainable city“ involves creating and developing a structure with a unique urban metabolism that is sociologically acceptable, economically justified, and technically sustainable. A sustainable city employs an intelligent and long-term approach to collaboration in addressing economic, social, and environmental challenges that arise when people live in dense, compact areas and share limited and insufficient resources. Today’s city of Skopje is the result of historical conditions, natural factors, and the skills of urban planners and politicians to conceive, design, build, and manage it. The main problems facing Skopje today, which we will discuss in this paper, are urban expansion, urban planning for investors rather than improving the quality of life, unsustainable and illegal construction that obstructs the equal realization of urban planning standards, and the physical development of the system, and administrative disorganization leading to the blocking or hindered execution of basic responsibilities.