Sarajevo Canton Assembly Adopts Draft Urban Plan of KS

After the Assembly adopted the decision to commence the preparation of the Sarajevo Canton Urban Plan, or rather the urban parts of Sarajevo municipalities, back in 2016, its preparation has finally begun, and today, in its Draft form, it was adopted at the Canton Assembly. The public debate on this draft will last for 60 days.

The Director of the Institute for Development Planning of Sarajevo Canton, Faruk Muharemović, spoke about the basic guidelines of this plan in his introductory presentation of this document.

„The orientations in the Spatial Plan of KS, as a higher-order plan, represent the starting guidelines for the preparation of urban plans. These plans define the conditions and manner of land use by zones, their purposes, and the conditions for protecting natural and built values. The plans are based on the rational use of space, optimal distribution of urban functions, and the connection and equipping of the urban area with necessary infrastructure. This new Plan is based on urban transformation and the defined development directions of Sarajevo Canton, which are defined through several spatial systems: the system of centers, the system of social infrastructure, the system of green and sports-recreational areas, the system of urban design, the system of urban transport, waste management, and demographics. I must emphasize that the document before the Assembly today is still under development, that it is subject to discussion and change, it is an open document, and we want to ensure the participation of all stakeholders who are interested and professionally connected to the preparation of such a document in its final version,“ said Director Muharemović, among other things, in his presentation.

The Minister of Communal Economy, Infrastructure, Spatial Planning, Construction, and Environmental Protection of KS, Bojan Bošnjak, as the responsible minister, called for the adoption of this document for the future development of Sarajevo as an urban metropolis.

„This foundation of our development is finally in procedure because we have been waiting for it for too long. It is time to finally stabilize things that are going wrong and direct them in the right direction. The responsible ministry will certainly be available to all interested parties during the public debate process,“ Bošnjak conveyed.

The Assistant Director for Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection of the Cantonal Planning Institute, Edin Jenčiragić, presented the content and guidelines of the proposed urban plan to the deputies and the public.

In his presentation, he presented a plan for the concentric and balanced development of Sarajevo that would ensure all citizens have access to all facilities of urban entities.
He emphasized the orientation that addresses eight basic directions of development for the urban parts and municipalities of Sarajevo. The first relates to the so-called spine of the city, the direction of development from Stari Grad towards Ilidža. The second direction addresses the connection and urbanization of the localities of Azići, Doglići towards Rajlovac. The third and fourth directions include the establishment of longitudinal roads and the connection of the settlements of Buća and Boljakov Potok and Pofalići, as well as the establishment of urban transport in that part of Sarajevo. The fifth covers the direction of Buća Potok, Zrak factory, and continues towards East Sarajevo. The sixth, seventh, and eighth directions include the establishment of three transport rings that would connect to the railway line and provide transport connections with industrial zones. The planned development of the peripheral parts of Sarajevo, as well as their transport connections, were also addressed.

„The model we presented brings a modern, contemporary vision of Sarajevo's development according to a different scheme than it is now. The idea is to develop Sarajevo more dispersedly, with more urban and local centers so that no one, regardless of which part of the Canton they live in, is deprived of educational, cultural, recreational, commercial, catering, sports, or any other social facilities,“ Jenčiragić stated, among other things.

Today, the deputies repealed the Assembly's conclusion from February 2020, which dealt with the recommendations contained in the Study on Urban Ventilation Corridors and the Impact of Tall Buildings on Air Quality in KS, and all entities responsible for the preparation of current and new spatial documents had to respect the recommendations from this study and the Assembly's conclusion on it.

According to the responsible minister Bošnjak, with today's adoption of the draft Urban Plan of KS, the need for such a conclusion ceased, as the urban plan contains provisions that will not allow the construction of such facilities on the route of wind corridors, and will optimize the spatial load, in favor of comfortable living, green spaces, and cleaner air.