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An Urban Strategy for Zagrebby Vladimir MattioniOverviewThe area between the town's two main communication routes--the urban railway and the highway--is the site of most intensive urban development in Zagreb, and a space that possesses tremendous potential. This area is about 18 km (11 miles) long, and it varies in width from one to two kilometres, covering approximately 30 square kilometers. The road and railway are connected by transverse links, from Zagrebacka ulica in the west to Heinzelova ulica in the east. Between the transverse links there are a number of streams which flow from the Medvednica mountain to the River Sava. At the intersections of these east-west links and the main communication routes there are urban nodes which are connected with the city centre area below the Medvednica mountain and the banks of the Sava. The city centre area, in the north, is linked by a network of roads to the slopes of the Medvednica, while the banks of the Sava are connected with different locations in the Sava valley. The main thoroughfare in the centre of the longitudinal area is Avenija Vukovar and its future extensions.The RailwayThe railway line from Podsused to Culinec is an arterial route that defines the city. This stretch is, along with its parallel roads, one of the main traffic routes in Zagreb; since the urban railway has been put into operation, it also the public transit route with the highest service frequency.Passing from one end of the city to the other, through its very center, this route serves all urban functions, from housing, production and commercial activities, to the city institutions, squares and parks. The centers of all major peripheral settlements now integrated in the city territory--i.e. Podsused, Stenjevec, Vrapce, Crnomerec, Borongaj, Trnava, Culinec--form nodes along this line. The highest potential of this route lies in a considerable quantity of underdeveloped space and structures situated alongside it. On the western stretch, these are the areas by Samoborska street, the Cement Mill, the Brickworks, the West Railway Station, and the crossings with other main routes. Downtown, this ties into Koturaška street, which services such destination facilities as the Students Center, Martinovka, the southern side of the Main Railway Station, and the railway mechanical workshop, the potential of which is particularly valuable for establishing a link between downtown and Trnje. On the eastern stretch, the crossings with Heinzlova, Bukovacka and Svetice streets, and planned routes to Borongaj, Trnava and Culinec, are particularly important. This line also houses several exceptional sites of industrial facilities, such as Krac, Nada Dimic, TUZ, etc. Their conversion for commercial purposes of higher profitability within the modified urban context would enable faster transformation of this stretch and affect its complete physiognomy. The City HighwayThe urban highway is a long arterial running in parallel with the railway line. This is a belt of the most intensive urban transformations, the space of the former periphery, which has gained significance through expansion of the city territory and development of transportation and infrastructure. The urban highway leads in and out of the city as the fastest road communication connecting the terminal points of the city territory in the east-west direction. The urban highway passes through the industrial zones in the east and west and connects them with downtown in the shortest possible time.The unbuilt and unoccupied land along this stretch has considerable potential for development into new commercial structures and smaller industrial facilities applying environment-friendly technology. The land is suitable for construction of companies' headquarters, clean services and workshops, office buildings, larger commercial centers, hotels, and similar facilities. The MountainThe area of the Medvednica Mountain foothill is considered the most important natural feature of the city. A particularly important issue is the city's attitude towards the natural potential and future use of the benefits offered by the Medvednica Mountain slopes and hills. Incorporating these areas into the strategy for Zagreb's development depends on re-evaluating their value and setting new criteria for its protection and reasonable exploitation. The conditions for the northwards expansion of the city should be reconsidered, especially in regard to existing rural settlements and approach of urban development. The issues of attractive housing, traffic intensity, and the provision of amenities are of particular importance.The River SavaAs the result of regulation, the surroundings of the River Sava have long since been altered from their natural state. The river is both a source of fresh water and a potential site for different kinds of urban development. Hence, it is important to consider what kind of buildings will be constructed on the banks, how will they reflect their setting, and how will the river be used to enhance their architectural value.Zagreb straddles the River Sava, so we should start developing links between the northern and the newer southern part of the town and consider the roles the river could play in the transformation of the district of Trnje into a new town centre. Other pending problems are the use of the river for hydropower and the protection of the river and the ground water from pollution generated by industry and traffic. The RingThe central section of the railway corridor is dominated by a ring consisting of thoroughfares between Trg Bana Josipa Jelačića and the central railway station, Držićeva ulica, Savska cesta and Avenija Dubrovnik. The ring is vital for public transport and other traffic between the city centre and Novi Zagreb. The ring encompasses the main public transport and commuter termini, including the central railway and bus stations.There are several major commercial and government clusters situated on the ring. These comprise hotels (the Esplanade, the Zagreb Intercontinental); businesses (Croatian Railways, Croatian Post and Telecommunications, Insurance, Vjesnik, Industrogradnja, INA); office blocks and other commercial spaces (the Cibona and Zagrebcanka towers, the Zagreb Trade Fair); arts and cultural buildings (the University Library, the Mimara Museum, the Student centre); and squares and parks (Tomislavov trg, the Botanical Gardens, Rooseveltov trg.) The ring can be considered an urban phenomenon per se. It is not some paraphenomenon arising from bad urban planning and insufficient communications between Novi Zagreb and the historic city centre area, but a mental and material link between the two areas. The ring includes the city centre area as well as new residential areas, and there is room for further development of the city centre area. The River Sava, of great potential for the planners of the future town centre, flows right through the middle of the ring. Novi ZagrebThe new urban strategy must respond to the issues related to Trnje and Novi Zagreb. They are not "excluded" from the concept. Trnje is located in the central section of the transit corridor, and major avenue of Novi Zagreb falls in the ring section. However, the question is what does Trnje lack to become a part of the city center, and what does Novi Zagreb need to be connected with the old parts of the city. The city center cannot be arbitrarily and endlessly "stretched" to encompass these areas. The destinies of Trnje and Novi Zagreb were determined at the moment of their foundation. If the planning concepts from the thirties and fifties had been carried out, these issues would not have arisen. The plans at that time did not include Novi Zagreb.However, since the Novi Zagreb was built by political diktat, and Trnje wrongly named "the new center" by the same force, their destiny can only be pondered as we try to reconcile these unrealistic assumptions with the present reality. It is absurd that a complete new city had been planned on one bank of the river and the new center set on the other side of the river by the old center. The Central European city of the nineteenth century now extends to the "New City" areas on the oposite bank, such as Pest and Novi Sad. However, these cities have their centers located within their domain, and not in some anonymous interspace. The citizens of the new cities of the nineteenth century lived in these spaces--lived, worked, relaxed and died there. Where are the citizens of Novi Zagreb to be born and buried? Where is their "place"? The absurdity of the Zagreb "New City" may stem from the fact that those who invented it kept on living "in the hills"--in the comfort of their villas in the Sljeme foothills. The "New City" was designated for the "working class," the subjects of their paternal care It could be asked why the splendid new University buildings, now squeezed between Martinovka and Trnje, had not been located in the "New City"; why the City Hall or a Concert Hall now hidden behind the Railway Station are not in its center; why the massive new library should have been located in the midst of the Brezje family gardens and not in the center of the future new city; why the headquarters of the former Party power should be somewhere "in between," close enough to the "New City" to oversee it from behind the glass facade, but still on the old riverbank from which the residences on the hills are at hand? The draft sketch of the newest strategy envisions interconnecting the "New City," the former Trnje periphery, and the old downtown into a wreath by a thread called the "Zagreb Ring." Maybe this will finally repair the fabric of our ancient city. Vladimir Mattioni is an architect and adviser to the Bureau for Development Planning and Enviromenmental Protection in Zagreb. He is also involved in research work in methodology and urban morphology and has written numerous urban plans, designs, studies, and articles.
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