Aidan is an urban sociologist who studied at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana and at Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany. He is an Assistant Professor at the DOBA Business School, where he lectures in the Smart City Management programme. He contributed to the development of Zunaj (Outside), a mechanism for community-based placemaking, and is a co-author of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan and the Digital Development Strategy for the City of Ljubljana, among numerous other strategic documents in the field of mobility.

At IPoP, his work focuses on sustainable mobility, city centre revitalisation, community practices, placemaking, tactical urbanism, smart cities, and above all, public participation.

Outside of his professional life, he is a proud owner of a collection of French existentialist novels and works of Albert Camus.

Urška Didovič is a landscape architect who studied at the University of Ljubljana, with part of her studies completed as an exchange at the Technical University of Munich. During her studies, she was actively involved in the Landscape Architecture Student Association, the Student Organisation and Student Council of the Biotechnical Faculty, and the European Landscape Architecture Student Association (ELASA).

She is a co-author of the initiative for hedges. In 2021, she received the Vurnik Award, recognition for promising architecture students, from the Centre for Architecture of Slovenia. Since 2020, Urška has been contributing to IPoP’s projects in the areas of green space management and the promotion of active mobility.

She enjoys cycling to work and observing how plants shape the city’s character throughout the seasons – as well as how local residents leave their own mark on the neighbourhood through beautifully greened front gardens and balconies.

Maja is a landscape architect, spatial planner, and urbanist with extensive experience in planning and design, applied research, and policy development. She has authored numerous expert contributions, lectures, and training programmes. She coordinated the Odgovorno do prostora! (Responsible Towards Space!) movement and co-authored the concept for Slovenia’s Landscape Policy (2020). For her work, she received the Plečnik Medal for Cultural Contribution (2007) and the Platinum Pencil Award from the Chamber of Architecture and Spatial Planning Slovenia for lifetime achievements. She is also an honorary member of the chamber and a member of the Slovenian Association of Landscape Architects and the Climate Council of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia.

At IPoP, her work primarily focuses on planning and management of public green spaces, creating walkable and health-supportive environments, climate adaptation of urban areas, and public participation in spatial planning. She is also co-author of the advocacy initiatives for systematic tree protection and for hedges.

Outside of work, Maja is drawn to nature as much as people. Her favourite city spot is her own garden, as well as Ljubljana’s city centre with Tivoli Park, Rožnik Hill and the Šiška Hill area.

Nela holds a master’s degree in geography from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana and Charles University in Prague. She has been active in various national and international geographical associations, as well as in youth policy, sustainable mobility, and community-based initiatives in her hometown of Velenje. Following her studies, she worked at the Municipality of Velenje on transnational EU-funded projects.

Since 2019, she has been part of IPoP’s sustainable mobility team. She focuses her work on understanding and transforming travel behaviour in Slovenia – particularly by encouraging walking and cycling for short distances, introducing people-friendly spatial and traffic arrangements, and applying strategic communication approaches.

Nela is a member of the Council for Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection, and of the advisory body for cooperation with NGOs  for the Ministry environment, climate, and energy.

She is an avid cyclist – using her city bike for everyday travel and enjoying mountain bike rides through nearby forest trails in her free time.

Goran, born in the Croatian city of Rijeka, studied landscape architecture in Ljubljana. He has worked on the design of private gardens and helped develop municipal spatial plans for several municipalities in the Upper Savinja Valley. He spent multiple years on the Ljubljanica River – first as an office manager and later as a riverboat captain for a local boat operator. The Ljubljanica remains his favourite spot in Ljubljana to this day.

He has also worked as a tourist guide and developed tourism experiences and products.

At IPoP, Goran ensures the smooth operation of the office, supports the well-being of the team, and manages administrative tasks. He cycles to work in all weather conditions and enjoys spending his free time outdoors, often with a camera in his hand.

Pavlina holds a master’s degree in sociology, specialising in environmental and spatial studies, and a degree in Communication Studies. She studied at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana and the Department of Sociology at the University of Vienna. In her final thesis, she explored the role of local initiatives in kickstarting urban revitalisation processes, using the case of the revival of the smaller community market (Mala tržnica) in Maribor.

In recent years, she worked in Vienna as part of a local urban renewal office, contributing to projects involving temporary use and public participation in spatial planning.

Since 2023, Pavlina has been involved in European projects at IPoP focusing on tactical urbanism and placemaking. She is particularly drawn to underused spaces, seeing them as opportunities for community use, new beginnings, and connecting people at the level of the street and neighbourhood – where she feels most at home.

Lately, she has been rediscovering the charm of her hometown, Maribor – a small city that offers the privilege of short distances. Her favourite place in the city: the Maribor City Park, in every season.

Urban holds a degree in architecture from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana, where he also worked as an architect and technical assistant. As a researcher, consultant, and co-author of several publications, he explores sustainable development in the fields of mobility, community-based urban regeneration, and housing policy.

Lately, he has been focusing primarily on parking policy, which he sees as a key lever for balancing mobility modes and as an opportunity to improve the quality of public spaces in cities.

At IPoP, he keeps our business analytics tables organised and our technical equipment running smoothly. Naturally, he commutes to work by bike.

Zala holds a master’s degree in architecture and urbanism from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana. In her master’s thesis, she explored how technological zones are integrated into the urban fabric. As a research assistant, she used GIS tools to analyse the suitability of residential developments placements near public transport hubs. In recent years, she has mainly worked in architectural design. She participated in the Urban Academy with her own project – a small-scale renovation of a children’s playground – and was actively involved in the community initiative What’s Next for the Stolpnica?, advocating for public participation in shaping the future of a key urban site.

Zala continues to develop these interests at IPoP. She cycles to work most days, and occasionally walks home. Wherever she goes, she enjoys exploring cities on foot – drawn by the rhythms of the street and the many ways people interact with public space.

Petra holds a master’s degree in sociology, specializing in environmental and spatial studies, and is also a translator. In her final theses, she explored the impact of traffic arrangements on the quality of life in Ljubljana and the socio-spatial effects of the European Capital of Culture in Maribor.

During her studies and shortly after, she participated in various projects at the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, Umanotera, and several smaller independent initiatives. As an editor and author, she contributed to the development of several expert publications.

Petra has been working at IPoP since 2011. She has led and participated in numerous projects on urban regeneration, sustainable mobility, and public participation. She has also worked as a national expert on studies in the field of European cohesion policy. Today, she coordinates the activities of the National URBACT Point and the Urban contact point of the European Urban Initiative, helping to raise awareness of both programmes among national beneficiaries and stakeholders.

Living close to the office, she usually walks to work and often enjoys walking up to the top of Piramida hill to admire a bird’s-eye view of Maribor.

Jana holds a degree in translation and has work experience across various fields. After her studies, she lived and worked in Italy for several years, where she collaborated with the NGO Centro Internazionale Crocevia in addition to her translation work. In Rome, she served as the coordinator and artistic director of the Festival delle Terre film festival and contributed to the development of a multimedia archive. In southern Italy, she coordinated a theatre tour for the Canadian traveling theatre group Caravan Stage Company.

At IPoP, she focuses on the field of active mobility, particularly promoting walking and planning walkable and health-friendly living environments. She pays special attention to encouraging children to walk to school. She is responsible for the development and implementation of projects, as well as part of the communication team. While she usually cycles to work, she prefers to explore cities—both at home and abroad—on foot.

After completing his studies in architecture at the University of Ljubljana and working independently for several years, Marko continued his education at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona. He has gained professional experience through independent practice, in public administration, and at the University of Ljubljana. Alongside his role as director of the institute, he also works as a project manager and researcher in the field of urban policy.

At IPoP, he primarily focuses on strengthening and connecting civil society organisations and developing public transport. He is the initiator of the Mreža za prostor, a Slovenian network of NGOs and civil initiatives in the field of sustainable urban planning, which he has coordinated since its founding in 2009. Since 2011, he has also coordinated Jane’s Walks initiative in Slovenia.

Marko writes opinion columns for the newspaper Dnevnik and contributes to various other media. He regularly lectures and moderates discussions at conferences, seminars, and workshops.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time in lively, slightly unruly parts of the city—such as the square in front of Kino Šiška in Ljubljana or Campo San Giacomo in Trieste.

Nina holds a master’s degree from the Department of Geography at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. During her studies, she worked on sustainable mobility projects at the Urban Planning Institute of Slovenia and at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland.

At IPoP, she coordinates communication activities and leads initiatives for the exchange of good practices and experiences among cities in Slovenia and beyond. She works within the National URBACT Point and the Urban Contact Point for the European Urban Initiative, and she leads and contributes to projects on participation, placemaking, and urban regeneration.

You’ll find her in the Maribor office, while on Friday afternoons, she most often hangs out on Lent next to the river, where she enjoys observing how people are reclaiming public space that was once dominated by cars. She is especially inspired by stories of local communities that, through courage and innovative thinking, bring people together and create more pleasant cities.

Karina holds a master’s degree in sociology from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, with a focus on everyday life and the social understanding of space—particularly living environments. She has worked as an event organiser, group facilitator, and has been involved in both content and financial coordination of projects.

At IPoP, she works on various projects and assignments. She is currently mostly involved in topics related to sustainable mobility and mobility management.

In the past, she often spent her free time as a curious observer of street life and cultural events in Ljubljana’s lively city centre. These days, she increasingly values the calm and greenery of other urban neighbourhoods and finds retreat in urban or suburban forests—especially when accompanied by the soothing sound of a river or stream in the background.

Anja completed her studies in urban planning at the Faculty of Architecture in Ljubljana. Her bachelor’s thesis explored life in housing cooperatives, while her master’s thesis focused on parking space management.

At IPoP, she continues to work on this topic—parking policy—while also focusing on promoting active mobility and public engagement. She is also interested in tactical urbanism.

Her passion for community-building and striving for a better world is rooted in her long-standing involvement in scouting—a youth organisation she has been part of since childhood. She is happy to say that her commute combines three sustainable modes of transport: walking, train, and bicycle—and even happier when her dog joins her on the way or at the office.

Gaja is a landscape architect with over twenty years of experience in landscape design and spatial planning. She studied at the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and the Turenscape Landscape Institute in China. She gained professional experience as a designer at Studio AKKA and LUZ, d.o.o., and as a project manager at the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region (RRA LUR). She is a co-author of several professional manuals on the design of play spaces and a recipient of awards and recognitions for her planning work.

At IPoP, she works on projects related to sustainable mobility and public participation. She is also a co-founder of the NGO Pazi!park, where she focuses on designing child-friendly urban spaces and involving children in planning processes.

She walks to work every day, as walking allows her to observe the environment at a slower pace, helping her notice details and reflect on space. She finds a similar sense of calm during afternoon walks through her favourite urban forest, Rožnik, or while working in her garden at home.

Rachela is currently completing her master’s degree in geography at Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana and master’s in urbanism at the Faculty of Architecture. During her undergraduate geography studies, she also studied at the University of Amsterdam. It was there that she developed a deep interest in how sustainable mobility and human-centered spaces can influence everyday well-being – when streets become friendly to pedestrians, cyclists, and children, and a city truly comes to life. In her bachelor’s thesis, she analyzed cycling traffic in the Municipality of Ljubljana. Throughout her education, she gained experience in academic projects and work with NGOs, focusing on issues of environmental justice, sustainable land use, and society’s critical relationship with environmental challenges.

Rachela joined IPoP in 2024 and has since been involved in projects related to sustainable mobility, tactical urbanism and exchange of good practices. She is especially interested in micro-interventions that, through thoughtful design, transform the experience of public space and increase social interactions. In her free time, she enjoys road cycling and exploring landscapes in the rhythm of her own pedal strokes.