Zagreb (HR)

SITE / CONTEXT

Klara Nova is located on the southern edge of Novi Zagreb. Its typology and level of consolidation define it as a suburban periphery of Zagreb. It is developed on a matrix of rural agricultural parceling, separated from its broader context by infrastructure corridors, which clearly mark the boundary between the planned Modernist neighbourhoods of Novi Zagreb and its rural outskirts.
The city’s expansion across the Sava River began in the mid-20th century with the construction of the Zagreb Fair and the bridge along the central urban axis. In the socialist system, new housing estates were developed based on the Athens Charter principles and the functionalist city concept. These estates followed orthogonal matrix, featuring freestanding multi-apartment buildings surrounded by large park areas.
Simultaneously with the planned development of residential neighbourhoods, unplanned self-built housing areas emerged around historical village centers and along roads and pathways. Traditional villages have transformed into sparsely populated suburbs, a substandard urban periphery lacking adequate social and communal infrastructure.
With the transition to a market economy,prioritization of private ownership and investment shifted urban planning focus from integrated spatial development to individual land parcel planning. The reduced investment and organizational capacity of the City led to so-called «microlocation planning». This was reflected in a significant increase in private residential and commercial construction, alongside a decrease in public and social facilities, parks, recreational areas, and infrastructural networks, especially when compared to the Modernist urban plans.
A persistent trend of expensive and unaffordable housing has been aggravated by a limited supply of public housing units, the increase of short-term rentals, and the 2020 earthquake that temporarily rendered a substantial portion of the housing stock unusable.
The implementation of municipal policies and spatial planning documents envision the development of affordable public housing on this brownfield site. This project aims to include public, social, and sports-recreational facilities, as well as green park areas, creating a model for organized, contemporary residential communities through planned housing development.

QUESTIONS TO THE COMPETITORS

At the level of the Reflection site, in accordance with the topic of Re-sourcing, it is necessary to propose scenarios for revitalizing the broader community, where the new neighborhood will become an integrating factor for all undefined levels of urbanity, primarily through urban regeneration and increasing of urban standards.
How can new spatial models be developed to coexist with the existing ones, in order to strengthen the neighborhood of Sveta Klara as a place of interaction and participation for its residents and users? How can the use of sustainable modes of transportation in suburban areas be encouraged while reducing dependence on personal vehicles?
At the level of the Project site, it is necessary to propose urban design for an inclusive and climate-resilient residential neighborhood for affordable living and working, with a comprehensive landscape design. Additionally, the task includes developing a conceptual design for buildings with modular layout, and floor plans providing varying levels of privacy/communal spaces.
How can we create peri-urban residential communities by reinterpreting the tradition of coexistence and cooperation between humans and their environment?
How can we organize facilities of a new community and rethink a spectrum of diverse and dispersed private and communal spaces, at the level of the neighborhood and at the level of individual buildings?