
Traffic-space solutions for the cities of the future presented on St. John’s Fortress in Šibenik
St. John’s Fortress in Šibenik was home to a one-day conference “Traffic-spatial solutions for cities of the future” on 22 July 2022. The aim of the conference was to introduce participants to the activities undertaken so far on the revitalization of urban spaces as well as the potential mobility solutions planned by the City of Šibenik.
Solutions on public spaces and mobility that follow trends were presented – active mobility, revitalization of space, putting climate change and citizens in focus.

About 80 participants of the conference were welcomed by Gorana Barišić-Bačelić, director of the Public Institution in “Fortress of Culture Šibenik”. She emphasized the importance of public spaces of Šibenik fortresses, i.e. putting them in the function of developing the city and providing new facilities to residents and guests.
Katarina Ivanković Knežević, representative of the European Commission, director of the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion also addressed the participants. She emphasized the importance of the interdisciplinary approach of the Urban STEM project. Among other things, she stressed that support will be given to the development of civil society and projects that are changing the paradigm of landscaping and using public spaces.
Matija Eppert from DOOR, project manager of Urban STEM introduced participants to the goals and ways of implementing the project.
Marko Slavulj from the Faculty of Transport Sciences in Zagreb gave a lecture on sustainable urban mobility plans in Croatia, one of the main tools for reducing the impact of urban transport on climate change.
The following were presentations by lecturers based on concrete examples. Petar Mišura, head of the Administrative Department for Economy, Entrepreneurship and Development, presented two projects: the Project of Revitalization of the Public Space of St. John Fortress and the Project of Integrated Mobility in the Area of the City of Šibenik. Both projects are co-financed by the European Union and contribute to the revitalization of space and sustainable mobility. The picturesque presentations illustrate the complexity of carrying out such projects and the difficulties that arise when restoring cultural and historical monuments. The status of the project of reorganization of public transport of the City of Šibenik, the implementation term plan, the challenges ahead as well as plans for further development were also presented.
Darijo Šego from the Polytechnic of Šibenik presented a way to solve black spots and traffic congestion with the presentation “New road entrances into the City of Šibenik”. Already partially implemented, the solutions are based on replacing unsafe and poorly flowing classical intersections with roundabouts.
In the afternoon section, students of six faculties presented their conceptual traffic-spatial solutions, which they elaborated as part of the previously held Summer School “STEM approach for cities of the future”. It was an opportunity to showcase solutions to the five selected topics they had been working for the previous four days.
After presentations of student papers, Magdalena Makar from ODRAZ presented the CLIMASUM project, its activities, planned results and emphasized the importance of reducing the impact of mobility on climate change.
The series of lectures was completed by Petra Grgasović from the Regional Energy Agency of North-West Croatia (REGEA) with a presentation on the possibilities of co-financing projects of local self-government units and companies/organizations through the EIT Urban Mobility Hub.
During the discussion that followed the lecture, the necessity of respecting the mobility needs of persons with disabilities was emphasized, an approach that is often neglected when designing and carrying out works, which is why, despite declarative support, they end up as second-class citizens. By considering the needs of the most vulnerable groups, we get public spaces that are more comfortable for all residents.
From the conference, participants either took new ideas for shaping traffic and space tailor-made for everyone or became aware of how much they already know and do not apply existing knowledge. In particular, the conference pointed to the usefulness of an interdisciplinary approach, i.e., gathering of experts of different disciplines when solving traffic and spatial problems and creating a public space that contributes to a better quality of life in urban environments. This approach to transport-spatial planning is crucial in shaping the cities of the future.
The conference was organized by ODRAZ in cooperation with DOOR, the Faculty of Transport Sciences and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture. The Summer School is part of the activities of the Urban STEM project co-financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund. The project is co-financed by the Office for Associations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.
Photo gallery is available HERE.