The works on the construction of the new park in the Lakuriq neighborhood in Prizren commenced today. In this ceremony, the mayor of the Municipality of Prizren Mr. Mytaher Haskuka, the director of Department of Public Spaces Mr. Osman Krasniqi and the Executive Director of EC Ma Ndryshe, Mr. Valon Xhabali spoke about the project.

The project of the Lakuriq park was drafted by EC Ma Ndryshe and is co-financed by the Municipality of Prizren and EC Ma Ndryshe, respectively UN-HABITAT. Within the park is foreseen the construction of a small basketball and football field, pedestrian paths, children`s playground, seats of different shapes, landscape interventions (including planting trees and grass), bike parking, public lighting and car parking posts around the park.

This project is one of the results of the long inclusive process that began last year. The project included the drafting and designing of 6 public spaces in the Lakuriq, Bazhdarhane, Dardania and Ortakoll neighborhoods, where EC`s methodology for urban planning with participation (drafted by the community) was applied, along the internationally known MineCraft virtual game from Block by Block Foundation. All the residents of the respective neighborhoods were invited during the process where number of meetings, consultations, workshops and presentations were held and collectively there were identified problems in the selected public spaces and then there were offered solutions and urban design ideas for the construction and improvement of these spaces.

The project, beside the inclusive process, has produced the detailed design projects (including the Bill of Quantity) for all the aforementioned spaces and was approved by the residents of the neighborhoods for the needed investments in these spaces. After the agreement between the parties that will implement the project, EC Ma Ndryshe will be investing in the identified spaces in the Lakuriq neighborhood, while the Municipality of Prizren vowed to invest in the identified spaces in the neighborhoods of Dardania, Bazhdarhane and Ortakoll.

This project is part of the “rePUBLIC SPACES” project whose general objective is to promote safe, inclusive and accessible public spaces in Prizren through policy dialogue, projects designed and demonstrated by the community, aimed at improving the living conditions of residents and disadvantaged communities.