3
Tudi mesta rastejo 
»Velika mesta so katastrofa za človeka.«1 Misel slavnega slo-
venskega arhitekta, zapisano na klopi v ozki ljubljanski ulici, 
mimogrede ulovim s pogledom. Zlahka se strinjam, res se zdi, 
da se z večanjem mest večajo tudi težave.
A vendar, toliko je raziskav in stališč o življenju v mestu ali 
na podeželju, o tem, kaj določa kakovostno bivalno okolje, kje 
bolje živimo, kje se bolje počutimo. Je sploh pomembno, kje 
živiš, če se le počutiš kot doma? 
Na ta vprašanja vsak po svoje odgovarjajo tudi znanstveni 
članki v decembrski številki Urbanega izziva. Vsebine, ki ne-
posredno ali posredno vključujejo družbene vidike razvoja 
v prostoru, rasti mest in sprememb, ki jih ta rast prinaša za 
različne skupine prebivalcev so: nezakonito urejanje mikro-
stanovanj v Hongkongu, ki je edini izhod za številne ljudi, 
lastno stanovanje – lasten dom, kot najbolj zaželeno bivalno 
okolje starejših v Sloveniji, proces in posledice nenačrtne rasti 
Aten po olimpijskih igrah, poskus odprave razvojnih razlik na 
japonskem otoku Hokaido s prenosom politik in mednarodno 
znanih razvojnih strategij, segregacija romskega prebivalstva v 
madžarskih mestih in velike spremembe v mobilnosti mladih, 
ki sovpadajo z intenzivno motorizacijo slovenskih mest v za-
dnjih 30 letih. Te vsebine lepo zaokroži v sklepnem delu revije 
predstavljena knjiga, ki obravnava mestni prostor kot skupno 
dobro, namenjeno vsem, ne glede na različne značilnosti in 
potrebe. 
Kjerkoli boste v iztekajočem se letu, v vrvežu mesta  (morda 
je to prav tisto, ki ga je soustvaril véliki arhitekt Plečnik) ali 
v najbolj odmaknjenem kraju, upam, da najdete čas tudi za 
občudovanje in občutenje najboljšega, kar ta prostor ponuja. 
Če bomo znali videti kakovost v prostoru, jo bomo lahko po-
magali ohranjati in soustvarjati.
Damjana Gantar, 
glavna urednica
1 Ena izmed misli arhitekta Jožeta Plečnika, s katerimi so bile po-
leti  2017 popisane klopi v Križevniški ulici v Ljubljani, v okviru 
projekta Urbane intervencije in ozelenitve Križevniške ulice v 
izvedbi Mini teatra in sosedov.
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4
Cities grow too
“Large cities are a disaster for people.”1 This sentiment by a 
famous Slovenian architect, printed on a bench in a narrow 
Ljubljana street, catches my eye as I go past. I am inclined 
to agree with it because problems do seem to grow together 
with cities.
There are so many studies and views on life in a city or the 
countryside, on what determines a high-quality living envi-
ronment, and where one lives and feels better. But is it even 
important where people live as long as they feel at home there?
These are the questions that the articles in the December issue 
of Urbani izziv address, each in their own way. They cover 
topics that also, directly or indirectly, involve social aspects 
of spatial development, urban growth and the changes this 
growth causes for various groups of residents: illegal micro-
apartments in Hong Kong, which are the only viable option 
for many people; one’s own home as the most desirable living 
environment for the elderly in Slovenia; sprawl processes and 
their effects in post-Olympics Athens; the attempt to equalise 
development disparities in Hokkaido, Japan, through policy 
transfer and the application of international development stra-
tegies; residential segregation of the Roma in Hungarian cities; 
and the significant changes in the mobility of young people 
that coincide with the intense motorisation of Slovenian towns 
over the past thirty years. In the last section of the journal, 
these topics are rounded off by a review of a book that discus-
ses the city as commons intended for all, regardless of their 
different characteristics and needs.
Wherever the end of the year finds you, whether in a city 
(perhaps even the one that the great Jože Plečnik helped create) 
or far away from its hustle and bustle, I hope you also find 
time to enjoy and appreciate the best that your surroundings 
have to offer. If we know how to value quality in our built 
environment, we can help maintain and create it.
Damjana Gantar, 
Editor-in-chief
1 One of the thoughts by the architect Jože Plečnik painted on 
benches in Teutonic Knights Street (Križevniška ulica) in Ljubljana 
in summer 2017 as part of a project of urban intervention and 
greening the street carried out by Mini Teater and local partici-
pants.
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