City :               ZAGREB
Location :      SAVICA SJEVER
Population :   779 145I Inhab (2001)
Study site :    27,6 ha
Site of project :   5,3 ha

TOPIC :
Zagreb is growing and becoming a city of 1million inhabitants following two principles: densification of urban tissue in the existing city area and the urban sprawl outside the city boundaries.
Both processes take place in the age of transition, and are controlled by market and property status.Property status and plot geometry have determined morphology of entire areas, both working and residential, on the city outskirts.
In the new social interrelations the reluctance of “private” to deal with the “public” resulted in a disbalance of investment, prioritizing the private space and neglecting the public. Apartment buildings were constructed, without urban environment.
Savica North is a newly planned residential zone, planned with the aim to promote city growth within the existing boundaries (“densification of the city”, Master plan of 2006.) respecting various criteria not exclusively “private” and “market oriented”.

TERRITORIAL SCALE: CONURBATION
This densification takes place by the natural resources (Sava backwater) where the Master plan anticipates a significant public space (park next to the water) and multifunctionality.
The appeal of the area and variety of urban programmes is accentuated by proximity of Radnička street- a road that is being transformed from an industrial road into a new highly urbanized strip, by means of the new bridge across Sava river (in construction) and its connections to the airport and the ring road.
How to deal with the public space- How to execute the transition between the public and the private space? How to design public space as a platform for different and versatile programmes? are Europan’s questions to which the answer is expected on this very site.

URBAN SCALE: STUDY SITE
Savica North is a newly planned urban zone on the Eastern outskirt of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It is cca 4,7 kilometres apart from the centre. The study area ( the newly planned city area) is one of the city parts «between». It is between the former industrial area on the East and the housing estates on the city edges.Today the site is mainly unbuilt, and a large portion is cultivated as agricultural land, and a part is occupied by illegal construction. This part of the city has remained between the working area- mostly service and business in place of the old industry- and housing estates on the eastern city outskirts.

PROXIMITY SCALE : SITE OF PROJECT
The suggested study area (cca 5,5 ha) is marked by the remnants of the Sava river backwater, and authentic natural protected landscape, including bird preserve. The site is a part of a new urbanized area. The proximity of the natural preserve is giving special appeal to the area. The wider area (cca 27 ha) includes a number of elements: water, public park, housing etc.

PROGRAMMATIC INTENTIONS :
The Master plan of Zagreb defines this area as a mixed-use zone, primarily residential. A detailed plan is required to determine further parameters and building typologies.
Project area includes a part of the river bank, public green, residential buildings and complementary services.
The competition results for the study site will be used as a pilot project for detailed plan of the entire area.