Interview with the chief executive of the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava (MIB), Petra Marko
Petra is a Bratislava-born architect and placemaking expert. She has long lived and worked in London, where she and Igor Marko founded a practice focusing on transformative principles of placemaking and green urbanism – Marko&Placemakers. After two decades abroad, she returned to Bratislava to effect positive change. We talked to Petra about the role of MIB, the gradual transformation of Bratislava and the challenges it faces, compared to her London experiences. She also introduced this year’s speakers at the Start with Children summit taking place on May 13–14 in Bratislava, and how Bratislava is embracing child-friendly design principles in creating a better city for all.
The Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava was established in 2019. What topics do you address and promote in the city?
The Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava was established as a conceptual institute in the fields of architecture, public spaces, urban planning and participation. Simply put, we respond to the question, „What kind of city do we want?“ both through strategic planning and design of the physical transformation of the city and as a facilitator and mediator through participation and engagement with experts and the public. Our goal, in collaboration with the City of Bratislava, is to support quality of life through strategic urban planning and functional solutions that reflect the needs of residents, as well as building an active and engaged communities with strong relationship to the shared spaces of our city. This is very important in the context of our history and geopolitics.
What are the biggest challenges public space in Bratislava faces?
Public space in Bratislava has long been a neglected topic. There has been insufficient investments in public spaces, as well as a lack of conceptual and scalable solutions. After the revolution, the city developed without clearly defined values and principles that would protect public interest, which resulted in a low level of trust between the public, the city authority and investors. Meanwhile, with the rising living standards, the share of individual car ownership has risen, along with a trend of suburbanization.
What sparked a change towards a more livable city?
Over a decade ago, Bratislava experienced a grassroots demand where people started to actively shape how they want to live in the city – whether through the emergence of lively street markets, community gardens or through re-activating empty buildings. We are currently in a period where the city has also a clear vision and political leadership, which has directly led to the establishment of MIB. Our institute, with a team of nearly 70 interdisciplinary experts, serves as a tool for conceptual and strategic urban development. The results of this work, in form of design guides and manuals, are already visible today in transformation of regular streets, as well as revitalisation of iconic public spaces. They are founded on the principles of inclusion and activation of shared spaces, supporting pedestrian movement, cycling and enhancing the attractiveness of public transport.
Is it audacious to compare the public spaces of Bratislava and London, where you have worked professionally for a long time?
Although they are very different cities, Bratislava and London share common challenges – whether in sustainable transport, housing or public spaces. They relate to the urbanism of the second half of the twentieth century, which, simply put, planned cities primarily for cars, not for people. They are also connected to the climate crisis, which is a global problem we all face. In the process of rebalancing our relationship with public space, Bratislava is at a different starting point than London, but in principle, we are heading in the same direction. That change is already visible today.
Can you think of specific examples?
One of the most iconic examples is the revitalization of the Freedom Square, which has been a black hole on the map of the city for decades. Its revitalisation has transformed it into one of the most popular public spaces in the city, where thousands of people gather for concerts or even protests. During a regular day, it is a lively place for people to meet or walk their dogs. The fountain which is now accessible and you can walk right into it serves as a water playground for both children and adults. Freedom Square could be compared to Trafalgar Square in London, which was transformed from a roundabout into a pedestrian square twenty years ago. However, even in London, things do not happen overnight; for example, the creation of a pedestrian zone on Oxford Street has been in discussions and plans for decades.
What position do children have in public space? Are they forgotten in city planning?
The United Nations enshrines children’s rights – among them, the right to play, the right to gather (in public spaces) and the right to participate in decisions that influence them. Since children do not participate in the electoral process, their needs in cities have not always had political priority. Similarly, the needs of women have long been neglected in city making because disciplines such as transport planning and urban development were dominated by men, reflecting their needs to a greater extent. However, the situation began to change at the turn of the century, and today gender-sensitive planning is becoming more prominent driver of quality of life in cities, specifically considering the needs of children and caregivers.
In which countries have the needs of children in public spaces been a focus for longer, how does Bratislava compare, and what impact does this have on quality of life?
Dutch cities or our neighbouring Vienna have developed based on these principles since the 1970s, and today they are among the most attractive cities with a high quality of life for everyone. At the Metropolitan Institute, we address inclusion and the needs of vulnerable groups – children, youth and seniors – across all scales, from street design to urban planning. Our City for Children programme focuses on engaging children in discussion about their neighbourhood and transforming school streets into safer spaces with more opportunity for play and socialising. By end of next year, our programme will improve the environment around schools for nearly 15,000 children. And it’s not just about physical change, but also about building an engaged new generation with a strong relationship to place – which is why participation through various activities like play streets, workshops or perceptive walks is a big part of the programme.
This year’s theme at the Start with Children summit, co-organized by MIB and the City of Bratislava, asks the question: How can we create vibrant neighbourhoods and communities? Which speakers can we look forward to at the summit?
Among the main speakers are Carlos Moreno, a world-renowned urbanist and author of the 15-minute city concept, which is significantly transforming Paris and other world cities; Dinah Bornat, an architect, former London Mayor’s Design advocate and author of the new publication All to Play for: How to design child-friendly housing; Eva Kail, a Viennese urban planner who was instrumental in transforming Vienna into one of the best cities in the world through gender-sensitive planning; Jonny Anstead, a developer of the award-winning community housing Marmalade Lane in Cambridge; and Adam Gebrian, a renownrenown Czech architecture promoter who will share his experiences from Barcelona through the lens of his son. This is just a handful of over 40 international speakers you will meet at Start with Children summit.
Another interesting conference, which follows immediately after Start with Children is PULSE in Ostrava, Czech Republic, with the theme Restart. Matúš Vallo, architect and Mayor of Bratislava, will be one the keynote speakers at both conferences. The world is changing relentlessly – economically, socially, environmentally – do you think that the fields of design, architecture, and urban planning should keep pace with these changes?
Architecture and design surround us daily, so it is essential to continually engage with how we plan our environment. This has not been different in the past; cities have been the cradle of human civilization for centuries. By 2050, it is estimated that 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. Therefore, how we shape the urban environment is a key topic not only for mayors but also for government politicians, economists, and sociologists. It will be up to cities how society will cope with challenges such as the climate crisis or social and economic inequalities. Disciplines like architecture, urbanism and design can significantly influence this development if politicians understand their crucial role. This is also reflected in the trend in many cities that are once again establishing the role of the city architect.
