Areas of work

Sustainable mobility addresses the challenge of changing travel habits to achieve fair, healthy, and climate-neutral transportation. We promote walking, cycling, and the use of public transport as means to reduce the negative impacts of car traffic on the environment, public health, and quality of life.

We focus on walking as a universal mode of mobility, striving to create pedestrian-friendly environments where streets are designed for people, encourage social interaction, support local economies, and enhance the vibrancy of urban spaces.

The integration of walking with public transport is crucial, as it forms the backbone of accessible and efficient solutions that reduce the need for private car use.

We also engage in strategic mobility planning, assisting stakeholders in developing comprehensive documents such as Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), mobility plans, and parking policies. Through this, we support holistic management and planning of mobility.

Together, we build cities that are more fair and accessible for all.

Strengthening Sustainable Mobility:

We strengthen sustainable mobility through a diverse set of programmes and initiatives that support behavioural change, better infrastructure, and more inclusive planning processes:

• Encouraging active travel to school, through initiatives like Walking Bus, Bicycle Train, and Kiss and Ride, which promote healthier and more independent mobility habits among children.
• Promoting cycling and shifting everyday travel habits, through campaigns such as Polni zagona – encouraging cycling to work and for daily errands – and Manj kot 2, which promotes sustainable travel for short trips under two kilometres.
• Managing urban mobility and parking, by supporting municipalities in developing parking policies, Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), and tailored mobility plans.
• Creating walkability and school route plans, to improve pedestrian infrastructure, increase safety, and make walking a more attractive everyday choice.
• Opening public spaces for people, through projects like Open Street and School Street, which reclaim streets for social interaction, play, and community use.
• Organising urban walks and walkshops, including Jane’s Walk, to connect residents with their local environment, gather insights, and support participatory planning.
• Supporting municipalities in planning and implementing local awarness campaigns, such as Furam 30, Pačas in Palahn, that promote safer, slower, and more considerate travel behaviour.

Resilient cities are cities that successfully adapt to climate change and everyday challenges while maintaining a high quality of life for all residents. At the core of resilience are public, accessible, diverse, and multifunctional spaces that connect people, places, and nature. These spaces help build stronger communities and social cohesion.

We place particular emphasis on green and blue-green infrastructure – such as parks, community gardens, urban trees, street greening, and neighbourhood green areas. Resilience is rooted in the sustainable planning and management of space and greenery. It involves nature-based solutions and multifunctional land use that support compact cities and shorter everyday trips.

Our work supports local governments in developing strategies, managing urban green areas, and designing programmes for a sustainable urban future. We also advocate for better planning, management, and maintenance of green spaces at local and national levels.

Urban resilience also includes sustainable urban regeneration. We promote the temporary use of publicly owned properties and support city centre revitalisation programmes where residents, space users, property owners, and service providers are directly involved.

We act as a facilitator between municipal administrations, residents, and stakeholders in co-developing solutions for public space renewal. We also support community-led projects with NGOs that foster inclusive and sustainable use of public space.

We connect people, encourage community-based planning, and foster the development of innovative solutions. Together with municipalities, organisations, and residents, we create cities that are adaptable, inclusive, and future-oriented.

We build resilient cities and communities through:

• strategic planning of green spaces,
• advocacy for quality planning and management of public and green spaces,
• development of community-based programmes,
• communication campaigns, that accompany and support public space renewal in cities,
• monitoring and facilitation of urban centre revitalisation processes,
• supporting and guiding placemaking initiatives.

Community empowerment is a process of fostering collaboration to improve quality of life and address shared challenges in local communities. Public participation serves as a communication channel between the public and decision-makers. Through co-creating solutions, we help reduce distrust and dissatisfaction. Early and meaningful involvement of communities lowers risks and leads to better-informed decisions. Solutions developed together with residents tend to be more effective – no one knows a place better than those who live and use it every day. Such solutions are also easier to implement, as they are more widely accepted and understood.

Our approaches are based on collaboration, equality, and inclusion. We work actively with residents, local authorities, and other stakeholders, encouraging networking at all levels. Our activities help communities take an active role in shaping places they live in. We believe that only strong communities can successfully face change and uncertainty.

We empower communities through:

• Designing and facilitating public participation processes, that ensure early, inclusive engagement.
• Connecting NGOs through Mreža za prostor, a Slovenian network of NGOs and civil initiatives in the field of sustainable urban planning.
• Engaging in coalitions and partnerships, such as Coalition for Sustainable Transport Policy and Plan B, a Slovenian network of NGO for sustainable development.
• Supporting and co-developing innovative community projects, such as Zunaj (Outside).
• Backing local community initiatives, by providing expertise, tools, and visibility.

We provide methodological, technical, and expert support to local communities towards sustainable urban development. Our work includes expert support in the preparation of strategic documents and local policies, in the areas of sustainable mobility, parking policy, city centre revitalisation, public green space management, housing and other.

We link local needs with international practices. As the Slovenian contact point  for URBACT and the European Urban Initiative (EUI), we support cities in developing sustainable and innovative solutions based on public participation and a multidisciplinary approach. We organise conferences, workshops, lectures and study visits to promote the exchange of knowledge and experience between cities. We promote good practices and their transfer to other local environments through publications and international conferences.

We provide governance support through:

• the Slovenian National URBACT Point,
• the Slovenian Urban Contact Point for the European Urban Initiative (EUI),
• assistance in implementing urban and spatial policies,
• promoting the exchange and transfer of good practices in sustainable urban development, such as through “Cities to Cities” (Mesta >> mestom) programme,
• designing and organising international conferences, training programmes, and study visits,
• developing strategies and policy documents, including Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), parking policies, mobility plans, housing strategies, and digitalisation strategies.