The DEMO on urban mobility in Peja

From early 2009 until September 2011 the MOBKOS team conducted a DEMO on sustainable urban mobility planning in Kosovo. Hereto Peja was selected. The Demo focused on those working areas and practices that are commonly acknowledged to be the basics of sustainable urban mobility planning in Europe. With this demo MOBKOS has tested an approach that vastly differs from traditional urban road modernisation in Kosovo and offers a framework for further applications and training. Jozef Zuallaert, project coordinator, Naim Sahiti , director of public services, Gazmend Muhaxheri, director of urbanism, and Modest Gashi, urbanist in Peja, give their view in below contribution. Urban roads network digitized

Reen Simoen, Flemish team member (UGent) , digitized Peja’s urban roads network . This mapping work allowed Peja’s ambition to become a ‘green and vital’ town the team to build further applications on urban Peja (Ped) (circa 100.000 inhabitants) in West Kosovo is a gateway to the mobility. Albanian Alps, to Montenegro and to North Albania. At the time the project started in 2009, the municipality had adopted a mission to First data on urban become the ‘vital and green town’ in Kosovo aiming at tourism, health mobility collected care services and active lifestyle.

Living up to this ambition, Peja municipality is to put a great deal of effort in spatial planning and sustainable urban mobility. It is gradually

understood that the prevailing ‘city for cars’ Traffic survey on 23 junctions practices in Kosovo (that had already shown its limits in Pristina) would lead Peja into a dead Back in 2009, Peja did not end street. Peja’s assets are above all its natural have data on urban mobility. In 2011 data from 5 different setting, its compact urban form and its cultural surveys are available to assist heritage and these opportunities do not match policy formulation. Various with a town congested with cars. software tools and new methods for analysis have Pedestrianization of the city centre started in 2009 and has so far been been introduced. largely successful. As a result Peja is gradually re-discovering the economic and environmental benefits of a less car oriented culture and

public space rehabilitation. The MOBKOS project facilitated a better Example : visualisation technique understanding of the why and how’s of a suchlike mid and longer term of traffic flows on one junction in Peja program. The above banner on top of this contribution with its 8 working (all transport modes were counted) areas (see www.mobkos.eu) represents the MOBKOS approach. Demo research topics and implementation projects have been applied in all of these areas in Peja and, by doing so, we tested a framework for an urban From analysis to mobility program in Kosovo. recommendation

First surveys on urban mobility in Peja

Five (5) surveys, conducted in 2009 and 2010, delivered the necessary basic data for the project. These were a household travel survey (403 households); a traffic survey (23 junctions); a school travel survey (5 schools), a parking survey (5 loops in city centre) and a municipal road accident survey. “Average distance in home to work

travel in Peja is 3,9 A bottleneck analysis of traffic km. 60% walks, 6% flows in Peja (2009) sparkled the discussion about growing travels by bike, congestion and alternative 30% by car” urban (mobility) scenarios and measures.

Household travel survey, Traffic survey , counting all Parking survey on 5 Design ateliers for 2009 (Vigan Pirani, Kobe parking loops , 2010 transport modes on 23 Boussauw) junctions (2009) strategic urban mobility projects : Green Boulevard As a result the team acquired realistic data on urban travel per and extended Korzo household, traffic volumes of all transport modes on peak hour, home to school trips, parking place occupation and turnovers, and road accidents.

These data delivered food for various new projects and shed a different light on understanding urban mobility development in Peja. MOBKOS did work on urban roads categorization and differentiation, town wide 30 km/hour speed regime, a safe routes to school program, differentiated Two ‘research by design’ parking management, improved urban road crossings, etc. Most ateliers (september 2010 and importantly, it became clear that the MOBKOS approach was to be 2011) were held in embedded in all ongoing regulatory planning practices for the 7 urban cooperation with University of Gent and Artesis University districts in Peja. Therefore, the municipal departments of urbanism and College for urbanism in public works had to strengthen their mutual cooperation and to adopt Antwerp. innovative urban mobility measures. 85% of the pupils walk to Successful rehabilitation of Peja’ KORZO, a starting point for a school: demo safe routes to school program sustainable urban mobility program

The rehabilitation of Peja’ KORZO (Municipality /

UNHabitat) required restricted access for cars to the town Home to school survey (7000 centre and a parking policy pupils / Safe Trip NGO): that needs further  85% of the pupils walk, differentiation in time and  10% are driven by car,  space for residents and 3% come by bus and  3% by bike visitors..

Today it is hardly to imagine that only in 2008 cars passed through Peja’s KORZO (town centre). The success of the pedestrianization of the KORZO 30 km/h and audit of had some remarkable effects. There’s a willingness to continue the public Peja’s cycling policy space rehabilitation program towards other urban areas in Peja. The active transport modes (walking and cycling) are no longer perceived as problem but rather as solution. Hence, walking and cycle routes and improved crossings are under preparation.

Strategic challenge for Peja in the near A bicycle policy audit future: urban (BYPAD: www.bypad.org) link between was conducted in Korzo in town cooperation with civil staff, centre, through police and cyclists. A old market cycling policy report was (Qershia), over issued. Peja has now Drawing by Shkelqim Daçi joined the hundred of railway station Connection old and new Vision on extension car free European towns that are towards the Peja through green public space BYPAD certified. new urban Peja urban spine for walking The NGO Safe Trip also in Krystali and cycling.(Flemish collected, mapped and district . team) analysed Road Accidents 2009 and 2010 in Peja. Room for strategic urban (mobility) projects Introduction of town wide 30 km/h speed regime is The following 3 projects have been identified as being of strategic recommended importance. 1. The first strategic project is central Haxhi Zeka square that is to link the Multi disciplinary field Korzo with the old market (Qershia) and Krystali new urban development. visits It is seen as a strategic project because the traditional commercial, cultural and residential zone in the old Peja has to challenge the new commercial and urban developments at the edge of town. 2. The ‘Green boulevard’ is to foresee new urban development in the railway station and bus terminal area. It was also recommended to put much more emphasis on the urban link between Krystali and Peja centre across the railway station emplacement. With the green boulevard Multiple field visits project, MOBKOS re-introduced the ‘boulevard’ concept and design. guaranteed that the team was very well aquainted with reality of Peja . Picture: Modest Gashi (urbanism), Shani Berisha (Public Works) and the team from Flanders (Belgium) (Kobe Boussauw, Jozef Zuallaert)

Numerous workshops

Central square Haxhi Zeka Green Boulevard Transit (bypass) road

3. The 3rd strategic project is Peja’s bypass road. The bypass road Recommended: monthly demarcates Peja’s spatial development within the boundary of the urban mobility working group existing bypass road. While being a link in Kosovo’s national roads network, Peja’s bypass road requires further optimization with the view Milestone events to divert transit traffic away from the town centre.

The MOBKOS team delivered first analysis and designs through two ‘research and design ateliers’ (September 2010 and 2011) . Above strategic projects require cooperation with more partners and an integrated approach (urbanism – public works / all transport modes). They are therefore more complex than a traditional roads modernization project. Due to this complexity, MOBKOS recommends to nominate Second seminar on urban skilled project managers and to establish a working method for better mobility in Assembly Hall in cooperation. Peja (September 2010) Campaigns for better urban mobility Feasibility study for urban buses in Peja

It came as a shock to urbanism and public works that the team from Flanders (Belgium) included urban travel awareness activities in the program. What is standard practice in western Europe is still unseen in Kosovo. In order deliver these campaigns, MOBKOS decided to cooperate Upon request from the with NGO Syri I Vizionit in due consultation with the municipality. Municipality, MOBKOS delivered terms of The 1st campaign in 2009 was based on the known European ‘cycle day reference for a feasibility event’ practice. More than 300 participants took part. The sponsored study on urban buses in message was well delivered through large and small billboard and Peja. differentiated messages on leaflets for all ages and gender. The 2nd campaign largely differed from the 1st one and was based on 5 thematic Small improvement street acts with professional actors and dominantly promoted through program social networks. The topics were legal parking, public space in town, trendy cycling and promotion of Peja as a town for pedestrians (YOUTUBE MOBKOS2011). A working plan for a third campaign in 2012 has been delivered and is based on involvement of the economic, commercial and health care stakeholders.

MOBKOS recommended to the Taking into consideration the need for urgent Municipality to continue with repair and small informative, educational and improvements, MOBKOS promotional activities. It is advised to recommended to nominate an urban mobility campaign establish a small & education coordinator and to improvements & cleaning cooperate with NGO’s. urban road program & team

Strengthening the capacity for sustainable urban Play streets / Shared mobility planning and cooperation with partners space

Peja , being a town of nearly 100.000 inhabitants and an expected another doubling of car ownership in the next 10 years, has no other option than to build capacity for sustainable urban mobility planning. Hardly any data on urban travel in Peja were available in 2009. MOBKOS introduced various new working methods. Most importantly, municipal management is challenged to review its practices as regards policy Most residential streets preparation and formulation, project management and quality control. in Peja are at the same time ‘shared space’ and Next step : urban mobility plan for Peja ‘play streets’. This culture The MOBKOS project delivered substantial contributions in each of the 8 of ‘shared space’ is an working areas in urban mobility for Peja. A draft structure for an urban asset for the city and it is mobility plan has been set up. It is advised to transform the results and advised to take measures recommendations for each of the 8 working areas into one urban mobility to preserve this culture. plan 2012 -2020 for Peja. Spinoff of the MOBKOS project: the Peja trail

MOBKOS assisted the Municipality in the EU Gathering at Peja railway station upon invitation of Kosovo Railways (Xhevat project ‘Dukagjini & Rugova Ramosaj)at 2nd Workshop on urban mobility in Peja, September 2010 Valley Access Project’. It included a recreational trail ______(loop) encircling Peja. The Many thanks to the MOBKOS team project will be Flanders’ team: Reen Simoen, Kobe Boussauw, Dirk Lauwers, Jozef Zuallaert implemented in 2011 -2012 Peja MOBKOS team in Peja: Naim Sahiti, Gazmend Muhaxheri, Modest Gashi, Shani and paves the way for a Berisha,(Urbanism and Public services) structured trail network NGO: Syri i Vizionit: Veton Mujaj, Dugy Nishiqi, Qenan Bardhi, Naser, Zana and all around Peja NGO Safe Trip: Leonora Krasniqi, Kreshnik Gashi Urban Plus: Ilir Gjinolli, Vigan Perani, Ardita A team from Flanders Students: (Belgium) continued to - Research by Design Atelier 1, 2010: Veerle Schoutteet, Frederik Elsermans, advise on various park Hans Vanderheyden management issues such - Research by Design Atelier 2,2011: Dries Ceuppens, Elke Durnez, Nina Reyntjens, Jeroen Sneyers like gateways, trail development, numbered Thanks also to Shkelqim Daci and to my Landlord: Shaqir and Naime Studenica, signposting, corporate Artan, Arta, Arvesa and Alea. ( quadruple A) identity and ‘open trail day’

Contribution date August - September 2011

The MOBKOS project is granted from the Flemish Government, Belgium, to Kosovo and implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunication. The municipality of Peja is selected as the DEMO on urban mobility.