Green Infrastructure, Slovenia, Ljubljana, 15 January 2026
- Tessy Melidi
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
On 15 January 2026, the Association of Urban Municipalities of Slovenia, in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, successfully hosted an expert consultation titled "Green Infrastructure and Settlement Densification." Held at Hotel Mons as part of the "Active Cities – Green Cities" European project, the event gathered state officials, local leaders, and leading academics to address the dual challenge of growing urban density and environmental resilience.
The consultation opened with welcome addresses by Damijan Uranker, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate for Spatial Planning and Construction, and Matija Kovač, Mayor of the Urban Municipality of Celje. In his introductory address, the Mayor presented the strategic guidelines for green infrastructure in the Urban Municipality of Celje and highlighted the key importance of integrated and sustainable urban planning. He also presented specific municipal projects in more detail and emphasised a systematic approach to spatial development based on active public participation and cooperation with the local community.
This was followed by a presentation by Dr Barbara Kostanjšek from Acer Novo mesto d.o.o., who discussed the importance of green systems as a key element of a high-quality and resilient living environment. In her contribution, she stressed that the development of green systems must take into account all three of their dimensions: morphological, ecosystem and social. She underlined the need to ensure their integrated implementation, strategic and implementation-level planning of green systems, and the inclusion of managers and the interested public in the planning process, with awareness-raising playing an important role. Only in this way, she noted, is it possible to establish realistic and professionally sound frameworks for successful applications to funding calls. The role of the state and current policy directions in the field of spatial planning were presented by Dr Jernej Červek from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning.
The professional part of the event focused on issues of urban density and settlement densification. Associate Professor Dr Janez P. Grom and Associate Professor Dr Tomaž Berčič from the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Architecture, shed light on the architectural and spatial aspects of urban density. They emphasised that urban density can be an important lever for addressing key challenges of contemporary cities, such as the provision of affordable housing, increased climate resilience, and the development of efficient and sustainable mobility. At the same time, they warned that the development of new spatial structures is, in a way, outpacing spatial planning, which is increasingly adapting “retroactively” to new spatial realities.
Professor Dr Alenka Fikfak and Associate Professor Dr Ilka Čerpes from the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia presented the challenges and opportunities of settlement densification in the context of sustainable spatial development. Dr Fikfak emphasised that high density, combined with mixed land use, is crucial for creating vibrant, safe, and socially cohesive cities. However, she also pointed out that negative phenomena—such as a lack of green spaces, limited accessibility to certain services, increased traffic, and the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic in densely populated cities—highlight the imbalance between built-up and open spaces and the under-dimensioning of areas where crowding occurs. In her view, these challenges also point to the need to raise spatial standards, particularly from the perspective of social distancing requirements.
The event concluded with a panel discussion featuring Katja Martinčič from the Urban Municipality of Celje, Katarina Konda from the Urban Municipality of Ljubljana, Izidor Jerala from the Urban Municipality of Novo mesto, Dr Barbara Kostanjšek from Acer Novo mesto d.o.o., Associate Professor Dr Janez P. Grom, and Associate Professor Dr Ilka Čerpes and Professor Dr Alenka Fikfak as representatives of the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia.
The consultation ended with a unified message from the participants that the topics addressed are extremely complex and require further professional consideration as well as sustained, systematic attention in the future. They unanimously emphasised that such consultations are essential for the exchange of good practices, the alignment of approaches between local communities and state institutions, and for the development of sustainably oriented, inclusive, and high-quality urban spaces.
The event was organised as part of the implementation of the project “Active Cities – Green Cities.”
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